Title: Steppenwolf
MPA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Adikhan Yerzhanov
Starring: Berik Aytzhanov, Anna Starchenko
Runtime: 1hr 42 mins

What It Is: In a broken world consumed by destruction and chaos, the ‘Steppenwolf’ (Aytzhanov) is a deranged ex-detective with questionable motives, a thirst for blood, and nothing to lose. Tamara (Starchenko), a timid woman searching for her missing son, becomes entangled in a dangerous deal. The pair follows a trail of death and violence to recover the boy, hoping to reach him—and her rumored fortune—before time runs out.

What We Think: Here lies humanity…

Many are familiar with Mad Max and will undoubtedly compare this notoriously ‘nihilistic,’ dystopian epic to it. However, I find its despair and angst more akin to the quirky, equally tragic, and dark video game Lisa: The Painful. This film tells a bleak folktale about a man so consumed by hurt and violence that he can hardly remember what it’s like to be human. In his charismatic yet disturbing performance, lead actor Aytzhanov plays what we initially perceive as a badass everyman out for vengeance. But thanks to Yerzhanov’s darkly unique storytelling, this trope is flipped on its head. Aytzhanov’s character is nearly unanchored from the world, a casualty of the cruelty it has inflicted on him. He’s estranged from the person he once was—someone we never see. And if he ever gets close to remembering that tragic part of himself, he releases not tears or pain but forceful screams, as if his body is viscerally trying to purge any chance of feeling again.

His foil, Tamara, is both his mirror and opposite, portrayed heartbreakingly by Starchenko. Unlike our anti-hero, Tamara is a direct victim of violence—a young woman pimped out in a mad world, desperately searching for the only person she lives for: her son. She barely communicates, speaking through dissociative stutters and avoiding eye contact. Her character is treated as ‘pathetic’ by everyone around her, including Steppenwolf. It’s a cruel world she must navigate, but she knows that without him, she won’t survive. The chemistry between the leads is fascinating and tense; their actions remain unpredictable, yet they come together in a way that leaves a lasting, painful impact. She is the heart, and he the fists, leaving a trail of blood on their uneasy quest to find her son—or, in the end, to find peace.

It’s an invigorating, unsettling tale, and admittedly, not everyone will like it. Already receiving criticism for being “too bleak, dark, and empty,” viewers might benefit from preparing for this experience. I have no issues with the themes or their execution, but it demands attention. The film immerses you in a decrepit world—one born of war and devastation—forcing you to anticipate the darkness in the characters and fear for Tamara, the only innocent person besides the kidnapped children. The film feels true to the loss of humanity this world has endured, as if there’s nowhere to go but down, except for Tamara, whose lifeline is hanging by a thread.

What some viewers and critics might miss about this film is how it subtly and brilliantly balances personality and wit with tragedy, leaving us with layered characters on an ‘unexpected journey’ that accumulates more violence as it veers toward madness. The sprawling long shots of desolate towns and deserts they travel through are meditative and vast, and the production design and sets convincingly portray a world where humanity has been left to rot.

Our Grade: B, A beautiful tale of redemption, splattered with blood and gunpowder at the end of the world. This film is worth taking a chance on if you’re in the mood to appreciate an artfully told story and oddball characters that feel incredibly real. I commend the effort of this Kazakhstan-made thriller and hope that visionary filmmaker Yerzhanov continues to create more. While deceptively simple, this is a movie that will haunt me for a long time.