In Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Steppenwolf, a young mother desperately searches for her missing child in the landscape of a war torn country. Desperate, she seeks aid from a local former detective with questionable morals. As the two embark on their mission, they find themselves at the centre of an ever expanding wave of violence.
Created in Kazakhstan,Steppenwolf is a hard-hitting and heavy story that pulls no punches. Whilst the behaviour of both lead characters is off-kilter to the devastation around them, the visuals in Steppenwolf are bleak. The terrain is vast, but sparse, and almost all colour has been washed out from the land, causing the buckets of blood that are shed to properly stain the ground. The cinematography is breathtaking, and sets up the desolate tone and disparate atmosphere that effortlessly evokes unease in the audience. Yerzhanov is careful to capture some actual beauty amongst all the bleakness, with several night and dusk tinged scenes simply stunning to behold.
Much like Finland’s Sisu, Steppenwolf is a film that pushes its violence front and centre. Almost from the very opening moment, the sky is littered with bullets that rain down. The soundscape constantly veers from whistling wind to a cacophony of gunshots, the latter of which hammers home just how dangerous a place this town is. Occasionally accompanying these sounds is a pulsing electronic score that drives the forward momentum.
Amongst the bloodshed and bullets are two solid central performances. The first is from Anna Starchenko as frantic mother, Tamara. Although determined to uncover the fate of her child Timka, no matter the outcome, in every other aspect of life Tamara is a quiet soul. Easily pushed around by those with her, she barely speaks, and when she does, she struggles to get words out. Starchenko’s performance is introverted and intricate, holding the viewer’s attention throughout. Her turn is also in beautiful contrast to that of co-star Berik Aitzhanov who plays ex-detective turned interrogator, Brajyuk. Whereas Tamara is quiet and insular, Brajyuk is bold, brash, and brutal. His body count in Steppenwolf alone is likely greater than professional assassin John Wick’s across his four film series. His zany attitude and behaviour is jarring when juxtaposed with the nightmare that surrounds him, but somehow it works.
As the nerve-shredding quest continues, the stakes in Steppenwolf continue to rise. Interestingly though, this escalation is purely due to Tamara and Brajyuk’s continued failure to locate Timka. As each overturned stone produces no results, the stark reality of the boy’s fate starts to sink in. The longer it takes them to find him, the greater the likelihood of something awful having happened. This will make Steppenwolf especially difficult for parents to watch, but Yerzhanov’s skill ensures that even the most hard-hearted will be gnawing on their fingernails.
A stress-inducing nightmare brought to life against a bleached and bloody background, Steppenwolf is harrowing and bleak. Simultaneously though, Yerzhanov inserts a thick vein of jet-black gallows humour, which only serves to enrich anxiety. The end result is a film who’s zany and off-kilter tone emboldens the brutal atmosphere, creating a journey in Hell unlike any other.
Steppenwolf
Summary
An off-kilter oddball tone and super dark comedy should jar against the cacophony of bullets and bloodshed that rains down. Somehow however, the two are married beautifully by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, creating an incredibly intense viewing experience.
Steppenwolf was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2024.
