Chemistry begets chemistry.
Alchemist Cookbook is a slow, melting acid burn on the pages
of an instruction manual. The dangers of unlocking the periodic table and
revealing the black moving mass behind the doors of reality. It’s also punk as
fuck, from screen to release.
Loner Sean (newcomer Ty Hickson) locks himself away in a
trailer the middle of the woods to meddle in metallurgy and alchemy, trying to
unlock the secrets of homemade gold, all the while self-medicating himself with
prescription drugs. When he runs out of drugs? Well, his revelations become
clearer.
There’s a total reticence of technology in the film (except
for a tape player). The film focuses on chemicals purely. As experiment, as
incantation, as food. From cutting batteries, to melting down hot-green
powders, to white-heat phosphorous, the film is a slow burn through scientific
meddling and demonic whispers. Relating exploration of the secrets of elements
to summoning and materialization of the Dark Arts. A pure mass of chemical
inducing, chemical denying, demonspeak where the gold Sean wants to amalgamate
summons something far far more sinister and insidious. Even the food he dreams
of in his vision of his gold-lined future is nothing but GM foods like Doritos
and Mountain Dew and Faygo and Tacos. Crystalized in preservatives and E
numbers.
Even when summoned, that-which-can’t-be-spoken-to, can’t
perform the alchemy to create the gold itself so it demands Sean do it for it.
The entity is denied the ability to mess with science as it betrays the hokey
religious rules set in place. Spirits and possession are for the otherworld,
math and elemental sorcery is for man. It just found a way to get through to
our world from the act of it. And when we see it? Is it a trick? Is it real? Is
that the trees and moss moving? Has my medication finally worn off?
//Physical transformation through possession can be
controlled. It can be reversed//
Sean, the wizard of battery acid.
There’s some amazing moments of tension and fear here, as
well as a total platter of satanic themes and betrayal of the mind that really
just fucking hit my sweetspot. Joel Potrykus is easily one of my favourite
indie filmmakers right now. Mixing ratboy DIY punk ethics, anti-standard
filmmaking and unique confidence and voice to everything he does. He revels in
oddity and outsiderism and, while Alchemist Cookbook is his most mature and
solid effort to date, manages to have the lip-bursting enthusiasm of a first
time filmmaker with every film. He also sneaks in hardcore punk, hip hop and
the Smoking Popes here just to add flavour to the recipe. Which speaks directly
to my heart.
Not only that but The Alchemist Cookbook’s release was
exciting and pretty punk aswell.
The film was released as a block. All at once. You can rent
it, buy it or torrent it at a pay-what-you-want fee. I was stoked so I torrented
it for $10 because, as I said, Joel does it for me. (also the torrent gives you
the film and 7 behind the scenes featurettes which is ~very cool~).
This was great though because it’s a new way of releasing
films at once. It treats the audience as an equal and respects them as such. No
waiting for months until the festival circuit is done then a possible whiff at
local filmhouse/crappy DVD sale. It’s here, right now. While I’m aware that
total fannies will be paying like $1 for the film, but on the bright side it’s
still paying. Not only that, the openness actual made me WANT to pay more for
the film. I was being gifted with a great new film I could download in Hi-Def, with
extras, within 10 minutes AND it benefits the filmmaker. What a joy man!!
While dvd/bluray’s are currently sanding themselves into a heady
genre collectors market and torrenting is really straining the industry as a
whole, it’s cool to see people try work around it and make it work for them. So
please, go buy/rent/torrent The Alchemist Cookbook, not just because it’s a fucking
great, isolated wee indie chiller, but because your soul will feel good for
feeding the arts and getting more cool stuff onscreen in the future. Hail to
Joel Potrykus!!
heres the link for the films release
you rule, Joel boy.
-findlay
