First Teaser Trailer for Joel Potrykus’ Bleak New Film ‘Vulcanizadora’

First Teaser Trailer for Joel Potrykus’ Bleak New Film ‘Vulcanizadora’

by Alex Billington
June 4, 2024
Source: YouTube

Strap in, folks, there’s a new Joel Potrykus film premiering. Potrykus is the indie filmmaker behind such peculiar, unsettling cult classics as Ape, Buzzard, and The Alchemist Cookbook. This is his latest feature, the first since Relaxer in 2018. The original logline for Vulcanizadora is intriguing though fairly vague: “Two friends take a trip through a Michigan forest, intent on carrying out a disturbing pact. When their plan fails, one confronts unsettling repercussions at home.” Starring Joel Potrykus, Joshua Burge, Bill Vincent, and Solo Potrykus. It’s premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival this month, still seeking distribution. The festival adds: “the film expertly navigates multiple tones, striking a balance between the bizarre and the emotionally resonant.” Hmmmm… There’s not much to this teaser either, barely any footage, only another close-up look at this strange metal contraption going on this guy’s head. What is it? Who wants to find out?

Here’s the first look teaser trailer (+ poster) for Joel Potrykus’ film Vulcanizadora, direct from YouTube:

“To me, Vulcanizadora is my most personal and my bleakest work. It has a weird tone that I’ve been trying to hit for a long time. It’s always great working with Joshua, and he completely understands the challenge of what we’re all doing, which should be sad, funny, and scary —oftentimes hitting all three in the same scene. Sad, funny, scary. We kept reminding ourselves of that on set, and thinking about how the audience would be kept off balance. Ideally, half the audience is laughing, half are grimacing in confusion. There are a lot of ideas and fears that I’m putting out there. Fatherhood opened up all kinds of beautiful new feelings for me, but has also me seeing humanity in a much different way. Both lead characters are voicing some of my darkest thoughts, and I’m not even sure I’m completely comfortable with talking about any of it yet.” –Director Joel Potrykus (via Indiewire)

Intro from Tribeca: “In this intense tale from provocateur Joel Potrykus, two friends (Potrykus and Joshua Burge), embark on a disturbing mission in the Michigan woods. As they trudge through the forest, their intentions become increasingly clear. When their plan ultimately unravels, one of the friends must return home to face the surreal, unsettling consequences of their actions, grappling with the legal and emotional repercussions that follow.” Vulcanizadora is both written and directed by American indie filmmaker Joel Potrykus, director of the films Ape, Buzzard, The Alchemist Cookbook, and Relaxer previously, plus many other shorts. Produced by Ashley Potrykus, Hannah Dweck, Matt Grady, Theodore Schaefer. It is premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival this month. No release date has been set – stay tuned for more. Curious?

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