Directed by Joel Potrykus, “Buzzard” is a slow burn commentary on millennial dissatisfaction and suburbia mundanely anchored by an unsettling performance by newcomer Joshua Burge. The film focuses on the ramifications of the various scams Marty uses to fund his laid-back lifestyle. Marty spends his days listening to death metal, eating junk food, wearing horror masks, and modifying his Nintendo Power Glove into a Freddy Kruger-esque weapon. He has a cubicle job but refuses to acknowledge the minor responsibilities that come with the position and generally rejects attempts by his uncomfortably homophobic coworker (Joel Potrykus) to develop a friendship.

“Buzzard” becomes more difficult to compliment as its narrative gradually becomes glacial. For every tense and unnerving scene of a unraveling Marty threatening to use his bladed Power Glove on an innocent character, there are multiple repetitive sequences that portray the mundanity of suburban drudgery so effectively that they’re difficult to endure. This is not necessarily a negative considering one of the central aims of Potrykus’s film is to show why Marty would indulge in these scams (i.e. to escape boredom and the thought of continuing such an aimless existence), but it makes for a grueling viewing experience. This is a film to appreciate more than enjoy.

The scene that best sums up “Buzzard” comes near the end when Marty uses the majority of his ill-gotten funds on a night in a nice hotel in Detroit. After checking in, he realizes that he still has $20 and resolves to spend it on a custom-made plate of spaghetti and meatballs from room service. Potrykus dedicates approximately four minutes to Marty messily eating the food with his hands while dressed in a white bathrobe slouched on a well-made bed. Spaghetti falls from his mouth onto the floor. Tomato sauce drenches the robe and the bed. Meatballs smush in his hands and soil his face.

There is a significant amount of meaning in this extended one-take scene. It is a thesis on Marty’s personality, as he is someone who hopes to earn the funds necessary to make a mockery of the elite by engaging in his own particular brand of slobbery on their turf, and he does not care what the world thinks of him. It is a statement on upper class fear of what would happen should the lower class ascend to their level. It is a commentary on how millennials disregard the expectations of society set by prior generations, and happily indulge in grotesque selfishness. It is also incredibly tedious and deeply unpleasant to watch.

“Buzzard” is most likely the exact film Potrykus hoped it would be: It is a glacially paced commentary with an intentionally unpleasant protagonist containing thought-provoking ideas at its core. For this reason, it’s difficult to slight the film. To those willing to endure extended bouts of monotony for an interesting character study and fascinating commentary, “Buzzard” should be an almost flawless experience. However, with only the rarest moments of energy, the great majority of viewers will fall asleep long before the closing credits roll.