Buzzard, the third film in director Joel Potrykus’ ‘Animal Trilogy’, attempts to be like a low-budget alternative to Fight Club; a rage against the inescapable power of soul-deadening corporations seen through the eyes of one of the system’s former minions. Unfortunately, though, it simply ends up being one of the least inspired entries in the widespread “childish adult” genre, with nothing really insightful to add to it.
During a post-film Q&A, director Joel Potrykus was asked by young man in the audience what one could do to live a life like Martin Jackitansky, the protagonist, if you could call him that, of Potrykus’ film Buzzard. Jackitansky, played by a volatile Joshua Burge, has a crappy job that he slacks on and steals from but never gets in trouble. He spends his time playing video games, and executing low level scams for free junk food. The inquiring audience member just had to know if he too could live the dream life for the realistically unambitious cog, grinding away in the corporate consumerist badlands of middle America. Though Potrykus gave an honest answer that most of Jackitansky’s traits and scams were autobiographical, it’s probably a safer bet that most of us are already living the Buzzard life, we’re just not on film so it’s not nearly as exciting.