The Alchemist Cookbook (film)
The Alchemist Cookbook is a horror comedy film directed by Joel Potrykus. The film was released on the 7th of October 2016 in New York City. The film stars Ty Hickson as "Sean" and Amari Cheatom as "Cortez". The film was produced by Oscilloscope Laboratories and by producers Andrew D. Corkin, Bryan Reisberg and Ashley Young.[1] "Sean" is an outcast who isolates himself from society to practice alchemy, accompanied by only his cat. As his mental condition deteriorates the line of what is real and what is not becomes blurred, and as his chemistry turns to black magic, he instead summons a demon.[1] The film breaks the conventional boundaries of genre, as elements of a black comedy, horror and a psychological thriller are all incorporated and intertwined.[2] The Alchemist cookbook was released on an alternate release strategy, as a pay what you want film, in both theatres and on BitTorrent bundle.[2] The film was an official selection at the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival.[1]
| The Alchemist Cookbook | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Joel Potrykus |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Joel Potrykus |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Adam J. Minnick |
| Edited by | Joel Potrykus |
Production company | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release date |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film begins with the protagonist, Sean, alone in the forest with only his caravan which he lives in. Sean lives his life in the forest alone accompanied by only his cat Caspar and experiments with various chemicals and substances according to an old alchemy book he possesses. Sean leads a simple life in his caravan, going out to collect water, wood and to go fishing. While practising some alchemy, Sean hears a loud bang which startles him and causes him to call for his cat to run for it. However, nothing happens Sean comforts his cat who is startled. After this Sean goes to take his pills and realises that these are the last one and there are none left. Sean becomes increasingly nervous about sounds that he can hear from around the forest and locks himself in his caravan with his axe. Sean is shocked to hear a loud knock at the door. However, it is just his friend Cortez who is here to deliver him his supplies. Cortez and Sean cannot find a yellow bag which contains Sean’s pills that Cortez was meant to bring. Cortez refuses to go get them from his home as it is a 3-hour round trip.
Without his pills Sean’s mental health begins to deteriorate. He goes out to set animal traps in the forest and then goes out on the lake on a boat. He calls out that he plans to summon the demon tonight, and he will give him whatever he wants, even his own body. Sean goes out to find his trap, which has caught a possum. He takes the trap home and feeds the possum peanut butter off his knife. At night, Sean makes a fire and throws petrol on it, calling out to the demon saying he wants to repent his human form. After hearing loud bellowing sounds from the forest, he rushes back inside his cabin. Inside, he lights hundreds of candles and reads Latin words from his Alchemy book. The possum, still inside the trap, makes some strange sounds and he kills it with his knife.
Cortez arrives as Sean is practising more alchemy. Cortez finds the dead possum and is shocked at the state of the cabin, however as people are looking for him, he intends to stay with Sean for some time. Sean is agitated by this and tells him to leave. After Cortez refuses, Sean pulls a knife on him as Cortez is making a sandwich. Cortez restrains Sean and then leaves, angry as he has looked after Sean. Later Sean finds Cortez’s car which has been destroyed in the forest. He goes out to look for Cortez and finds his Necklace hanging from a tree along with his tooth. That night Cortez stumbles over to the fire where Sean is sitting. He has blood all over his body and tells Sean of the demon in the forest and that he wants all Sean’s possessions, before stumbling away again.
The next day Sean finds Cortez’s dead body in the forest and buries him. Later in his cabin Sean pulls out his own teeth using pliers. That night at his fire he calls out to the demon telling him he has his tooth. There is a loud bellowing and later Sean is seen sitting inside his cabin with blood all over his face and body. Crying and shaking he smashes his head into a mirror shattering it. Sean appears to have gone completely insane as he drinks chemicals from test tubes and eats the raw internal organs of the dead possum. Sean realises that his cat has gone missing and goes out to look for it. Calling for his cat, his voice begins to sound like the howls of the demon. Sean takes his bag along with a large rock and sinks himself in the lake. After about 30 seconds he comes to the surface again and is initially ecstatic as claiming he has defeated the demon. However, this turns to horror as he hears the whimper of his cat and the howl of the demon.
Cast
The cast only contains two human characters starring Ty Hickson as Sean and Amari Cheatom as Cortez. Other notable characters include the Cat Kaspar and a possum. The cast is notable as it consists of only African American actors, a conscious choice to “take the white people out of the movie” by the director Joel Potrykus.[3]
Production
Pre-Production
Potrykus' inspiration for the film came after seeing an old friend who didn't recognise him. Confused after his old friend didn't react after calling out to him, Potrykus thought he may just be a doppelganger. This gave him the idea for a film with a doppelganger who lived out in the woods. This initial idea eventually evolved into the script for the film of a weird guy in the woods practising alchemy.[4] Potrykus admitted the film was inspired by the movie, The Evil Dead,[4] a film which Potrykus idolised throughout high school. Other influences and inspirations for the film include Jim Jarmusch and films by Michael Haneke. Potrykus listened to Come on Pilgrim by the Pixies during production of the film and Sean even quotes some lyrics in the movie.[4]
Production
The film was produced by Oscilloscope Laboratories. The Alchemist Cookbook was Potrykus’ third film after Ape and Buzzard and the first in the genre of horror.[5] The film was the first film in which Joel Potrykus cast Professional actors as opposed to non-actors who Potrykus knew.[3] On the first day of filming, prior to first meeting Ty Hickson, Potrykus was very nervous, and after taking an anxiety pill he passed out.[3] Ty Hickson and Amari Cheatom were initially unfamiliar with Potrykus’ directing style and so this took some period of adjustment.[3] Potrykus was able to give the pair the freedom to improvise and incorporate their own elements without always sticking to the script. The film was shot exclusively in the forests of West Michigan’s Allegan County.[6] This provided a challenge for all involved as there was a lot of ticks.[2] The Alchemy book used by Sean was made by Potrykus specifically for the film. The title of the film and book is a reference to "The Anarchist Cookbook" a book which is basically an instruction manual for committing crimes. Potrykus describes this reference as giving the middle finger to society.[2]
Themes
The film examines the theme of mental health and its role in society. Tom Keogh of the Seattle times says that "there are obvious signs of mental illness in his behaviour". Potrykus explores this through the voices, shapes and sounds in the forest which "visually suggest the tangled shadows in Sean’s head." [7] There has been much debate if what the viewer sees in the film is real or if it is just a reflection Sean's tortured mental state.[6][8] This is the intention of the director Joel Potrykus, to keep the film intentionally ambiguous to encourage thinking on the viewers behalf.[2] Potrykus further leans into this by disrupting the concept of time and space, removing the conventional ties to reality.[4] The eccentric and erratic behaviour of the protagonist Sean, emphasise the mental turmoil and cause the film to venture into the realm of a psychological horror.[9] Furthermore, Potrykus explores the causes and the way that mental health is treated by society, stating that it is difficult to know what an individual may be escaping from in life.[2]
Cinematic Style
The film has a unique structure, broken up into 8 chapters with the director Joel Potrykus describing the different sections of the film like pieces of a puzzle put together by the audience.[3] Potrykus kept the film intentionally cryptic so that the viewer could form their own interpretation.[3] The viewer is never quite sure what is real or just in the head of Sean.[2] This separation into chapters gives the film a disjointed feel in regard to its scenes and dialogue and makes it near plotless.[6] Potrykus incorporates elements of horror and comedy to surprise the viewer and elicit different reactions from each individual viewer.[2] The colour of the film is predominantly brown, red and gold which is supported by the setting of Michigan forest.[3] Potrykus set specific rules for the filming the film saying "if the characters are moving, the camera is moving. If the characters are not moving, the camera is not moving". This gives the viewer the feeling that they are there with the character, immersing them in the scene.[3] The film features a vague grumbling sound from the forest at various stages of the movie. This builds the feeling of unease throughout the film for the viewer.[2] The film is set in a non-specific time period with the characters not having access to modern technology. The film employs modern horror techniques such as speed ramping and frame-skipping which build which build the tension in the style of a modern horror.[9]
Music
The soundtrack is very diverse featuring opera music, music from Detroit based rapper Esham and punk pop band The Smoking Popes, as well as Beethoven.[6] Potrykus uses the lyrics in the music in the opening scene to give the viewer an overview on Sean's background.[2]
Release
The film premiered in March 2016 at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The film was then featured at various independent film festivals around the whole world throughout 2016, including at BAMcinemaFest in New York. The film was then officially released in New York and on online on BitTorrent Bundle on the 7th of October.[10] The film was released on an alternate "pay what you want" strategy. Viewers were instructed to pay what they thought the film was worth. This is part of Joel Potrykus’ vision that all films and art should be pay what you want due to its subjectivity.[3]
Critical response
The critical response to the film by critics was largely positive. The film has an average rating of 76% on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews by various critics.[11] Critics largely agree that the film is very unique and not for everyone. Critics praised the unconventional style of the film and "its unsettling intensity" in the final moments of the film.[11] Ty Hickson received widespread praise for his role in the film. Brooklyn magazine said "Hickson's largely silent performance is superb" and Variety commended Hickson for an "irresistible performance".[6] Critics also commented on the elements of comedy in the film, especially by Amari Cheatom who was described as "hilarious".[6] However true to the film’s divisive nature not all critics were as impressed. Todd Jorgenson from http://cinemalogue.com/ commented that the films "ambiguity with regard to key details becomes frustrating" and a Spanish magazine described the film as a "complete waste of a horror movie" and that "nothing justifies whatever it was the director tried to do here".[11]
References
- "The Alchemist Cookbook". thealchemistcookbook.oscilloscope.net. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- Navarro, Meagan (2016-03-18). "SXSW Q&A: Writer/Director Joel Potrykus talks 'The Alchemist Cookbook". Modern Horrors. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- "'The Alchemist Cookbook' Filmmakers Prove Everything You Learned About Shooting Coverage is Wrong". No Film School. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- "A Conversation With Joel Potrykus (THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK) – Hammer to Nail". Retrieved 2019-06-07.
- The Alchemist Cookbook, retrieved 2019-05-21
- Harvey, Dennis; Harvey, Dennis (2016-03-19). "Film Review: 'The Alchemist Cookbook'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- "'The Alchemist Cookbook': Stirring up horrors in the woods". The Seattle Times. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- "The Alchemist Cookbook Review". We Got This Covered. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
- Lund, Carson. "BAMcinemaFest 2016: Joel Potrykus's The Alchemist Cookbook". Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- The Alchemist Cookbook (2016) – IMDb, retrieved 2019-06-03
- The Alchemist Cookbook (2016), retrieved 2019-05-21