Spoilers will rather not say anything about this one.

Some films’ strength is not in their ability to entertain, but to draw you in to face something about life. They’re not pretty, they’re exciting, they can even be rather bleak. They still have the capacity to make you reflect, think and even relate to the lowest feelings in life. This feature brings the mood down to a simmer, not to meditate but to face the ugliness of emotions without giving you respite. However, I’ll have to include a warning that it includes a moment of shock that might be disturbing to some.

Vulcanizadora (2024) is written and directed by Joel Potrykus. Marty (Joshua Burge) and Derek (Joel Potrykus) are two friends that don’t seem overly friendly with one another. They’re going for a trek through a forest with an unknown destination. They both seem at a low point in their lives. Derek is a father that has lost his parental rights to see his son. Nevertheless he seems to be excited about the outing and full of nervous excitement, unable to keep talking. Marty is more reflective, talks less and seems to stare daggers at his friend. In their own way, each man is dealing with disappointment and failure. They’ve both resolved to seal some sort of extreme pact.

While other filmmakers would resort to editing to cut down on what seems to be moments where nothing happens, this film builds the tension by filming precisely these blank spaces where anxiety and depression lingers on. The protagonists are far from heroic or brave. They’ve let people down and broke laws, and have all sorts of regrets and fears. Once their destination arrives, there’s a moment for which not everyone will be ready where there’s a shocking depiction of violence. The film then enters its even bleaker second half in which guilt and the fear of prosecution clash. And yet, I have to say the character engagement drives this film so cleanly, despite the roughness of circumstances, you want to see it through.

Strongly recommended with a strong warning for sensible audiences. It’s definitely for mature audiences and any and all casual viewers should stay away. Slacker portrayal is usually gold for comedy, but this one leans more heavily on depicting the bleakness of middle life. It is very much worth a watch but only for mature audiences.

That will do for now.