Director: Joel Potrykus
MPAA Rating: NR
Runtime: 82 Minutes
Sporting a stylish new jacket with the word Dancers emblazoned on the back, Cortez visits his buddy Sean in a remote trailer in the middle of a lonely forest. He’s not there to stay; he’s just there for a supply drop that will help his friend in his alchemical pursuits. After a few fleeting moments of companionship, he leaves and Sean returns to his quest of creating gold. This is the basis of Joel Potrykus’s latest film, The Alchemist Cookbook.
It’s quickly evident why the film’s title bears a similar moniker to the infamous Anarchist Cookbook in that Potrykus has crafted a chaotic descent into chaos, fuelled by punk and hardcore rap, the dark arts, madness and Doritos. Like his previous films Buzzard and Ape, he blends absurd comedy into dark subject matter, but while Alchemist leans more into the horror movie realm than his previous works, he pulls the reins in before fully committing to the genre.
It’s clear early on that Sean, played by Ty Hickson, is an imbalanced individual, and when it’s believed that Cortez (Amari Cheatom) forgets to bring Sean’s much-needed medicine, his mental state quickly deteriorates into one of delusions and paranoia. The longer Sean stays in his isolation, the more unhinged he becomes, and, like Sean, we no longer have a grip on reality ourselves.
If you’ve seen Ape or Buzzard, you’ll find yourself in familiar territory with The Alchemist Cookbook, from the oddball humor to the spurts of violence. Joel Potrykus has a defined style, and this film certainly fits within it. For those of you wondering if there are any disturbing scenes of food eating, they are here in spades. Sean has a penchant for chugging Gatorade and scarfing Doritos. There’s also a particularly hilarious scene involving cat food that makes the film almost worth checking out just for that scene alone.
It’s too bad there just isn’t a more substantial plot here, as the characters are interesting and the performances are well done. It’s a film that only has two human characters, Cass the Cat is also listed in the credits, and Hickson and Cheatom carry the film with ease. Though there are only three scenes featuring Cheatom, these prove to be the most entertaining and humorous, leaving me wanting more of this banter between friends.
Nothing else really happens otherwise, and the conclusion feels anti-climactic and abrupt. It’s almost as if Potrykus has this spark of an idea about a guy going off into the woods to create gold who later goes mad but really didn’t know where to take it from there. It’s not so pointless that I would caution against seeing it, especially considering that this film excels in other areas, but the script doesn’t feel fleshed out enough for a feature-length film.
The films of Joel Potrykus are definitely not for everyone, but there’s something about his humor, minimalist storytelling and troubled protagonists that really works for me. Maybe it’s his fresh take on indie filmmaking or maybe it’s because I can relate to his films more than I’d like to admit, but either way, he’s a director who I’ll still be watching and clamoring for more.
