Vulcanizadora

Joel Potrykus looks without flinching at the ultimate consequences of permanent adolescence.

Much of the movie’s power is owed to Potrykus’ own performance as a cartoonish manchild, in the vein of studio comedies led by Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell, only Potrykus is quick to unearth the nuanced layers

Potrykus’s latest begins as a darkly funny heavy metal comedy that deftly shifts into a poignant existential drama, but it’s his and Burge’s transformative performances that carry this unconventional gem.

Vulcanizadora is a dark, sombre film, and yet it speaks of something so genuine in such an urgent way that the courage driving it brings with it an implicit kind of hope.

Vulcanizadora doesn't know how to cope with these truths, and will alienate much, if not most, of its audience as a result. But the honesty with which it expresses these dark thoughts is commendable.

Vulcanizadora is a tough hang, but it is saved from utter bleakness by Potrykus’ sympathy for his characters and the deader-than-deadpan wit with which he observes their predicaments.

[Potrykus gives us at least one] image that won’t soon dissipate from anyone’s memory.

The acting is solid and the look of the film is interesting, the writing lets the film down, which is a bit sad for a film with this much potential.

Writer/director Joel Potrykus deploys long takes and close-ups with great skill, building tension incrementally...A prime example of how captivating story-telling and imaginative cinematography can make you oblivious to a film’s limited budget.

A grimly comedic story that could just as easily have been titled "National Lampoon's Faces of Death". It's a comedy so black that even light can't escape it! Vulcanizadora is a good time for people who love a bad time.