Joel Potrykus' The Alchemist Cookbook is another singular character study by the indie filmmaker, a film that is based in horror but rejects standard genre classifications, delivering a horrific study of mental psychosis. Potrykus's films to-date have always been fascinating character studies about the fringe individuals of society, the downtrodden, abnormal characters who rarely are captured in the vast scope of cinema. With The Alchemist Cookbook, Joel Potrykus has delivered a story of mental illness with strong horror elements, documenting a loner, hermit-like character named Sean, who lives alone in a small trailer in the middle of the woods where he spends most of his time mixing chemicals of some sort. With the title being an obvious play on the Anarchist Cookbook, Joel Potrykus' film remains intentionally vague about what exactly Sean is up to as a character, offering absolutely no backstory into this character, leaving the viewer questioning what exactly he is doing in this secluded environment. Potrykus wisely lets characterization and the performance begin to unravel the mystery behind Sean, with the audience soon beginning to put the pieces together and realize Sean is a man who suffers from some form of severe mental illness. From the way Sean consumes food in an aggressive manner, stuffing his face in a way that signifies necessity for survival, nothing more, to how he routinely talks to his cat, seemingly his only true companion, The Alchemist Cookbook paints a portrait of a man who isn't all there mentally, never fully revealing why exactly he is in the middle of the woods. How did this character damage his leg so badly? what is he making? Drugs? Explosives? None of this is clearly defined and that's exactly what makes Joel Potrykus' film so fascinating, forcing the viewer to simply spend time with this man, who is clearly suffering from some form of grand delusions. Featuring Joel Potrykus' punk rock style of filmmaking, The Alchemist Cookbook feels completely unpredictable and chaotic, mimicking a character whose psyche itself feels like it is slowly slipping away. Much credit for this also goes to the performance of Ty Hickson, whose performance oscillates between horror, joy, comedy, and depression, a powerful performance that beautifully mimics Potrykus' un-caged style of filmmaking. The sense of freedom in the characterization is something to stands out in Potrykus work, with Ty Hickson delivering a performance that feels unrestricted by traditional narrative devices or a didactic screenplay. As Sean slips further into mental instability, The Alchemist Cookbook escalates in suspense and terror, becoming more and more like a horror film, with Potrykus wisely leaving much to the imagination, using brooding cinematography and sound design that fully embraces the less is more mantra of most good horror films. While the film remains intentionally vague, I'd argue that Alchemist Cookbook is a Greek tragedy, with Sean being a character who was taken advantage of after the death of his mother, essentially being forced to cook drugs for his friend (or brother), Cortez, a character who routinely shows up with "supplies". Cortez is a character that serves as comedic relief, somone who seems close to Sean, but he also importantly serves as a window into reality, away from Sean's delusional mindset. While this interpretation may be way off, that's the beauty of Joel Potrykus' The Alchemist Cookbook, a film that manages to deliver a haunting character study of mental illness while serving as a unique mystery simultaneously.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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