Relaxer [2018]: ‘North Bend Film Fest’ Capsule Review

After exploring slackers to a level of thesis level sophistication in his Animal Trilogy: Buzzard, Ape, Coyote, Joel Potrykus makes a film about a competitive man’s survival on a couch as the Y2K Apocalypse engulfs the world. Playing as a satire on the contemporary world that has lost all its hope in the outsides world, Potrykus’s protagonist Abbie is a serial challenge taker. He would probably be your definition if you search ‘Couch Potato’ on your search engine. 

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As his shouting, howling bigger brother spits out challenges that Abbie intakes with siliques and a shirt and pantless persona,  we dive into a hypnotic, couchscending (Read: Transcending) and a bizarrely surreal throwback to the 90s. Relaxer is a sickening, strangely funny takedown of the capitalistic system that’s taking over the world. If there was a genre that ranked films that feature a guy playing a Pac-man game for 90 minutes as the world collapses around him – Relaxer would definitely be top-tier.

★★★★½