Steppenwolf - Fantasia North American Premiere
Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Starring: Anna Starchenko, Berik Aitzhanov
Written by: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Produced by: Olga Khlasheva, Aliya Mendygozhina, Alexander Rodnyansky
Cinematography by: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Synopsis:
Desperate to find her son, a mute woman hires a morally questionable ex-detective to help her search for him.
Thoughts:
One of the bleakest films I've seen in a long time, 'Steppenwolf' is ultra violent and while its not overly bloody or gory, its not a particularly enjoyable watch but is audacious filmmaking nonetheless.
I know nothing of Writer/Director Adilkhan Yerzhanov other than the fact that he is as prolific as any filmmaker in the history of modern cinema. His most recent outing is grisly and brutal from the opening scene and just keeps following in that pattern throughout the entire film. It is unrelenting and harrowing but it's also strangely flippant.
Berik Aitzhanov plays Brajyuk, a former detective turned ruthless interrogator who has a chance meeting with Tamara, a woman so traumatised by the violence around her that she can barely speak. She mumbles incoherently but the one thing that we do come to realise is that her son is missing and she is desperate to find him. Brajyuk decides to help her, for a price.
This should be an easy struggle for us to get behind but sadly Brajyuk is just an abhorrent character with little to no likeability factor. There's a nonchalantnesss to his barbarity that is deeply uncomfortable to watch. Tamara is essentially mute and while there's an obvious compassion for her and her situation, it's difficult to make a connection with her at all.
There's no denying that the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. There's a clear visual influence from classic Westerns like John Ford's 'The Searchers' and thematic similarities to traditional samurai films too but I also saw some of George Miller's 'Mad Max' sequel 'The Road Warrior'. The grim, apocalyptic locations are reminiscent of something out of a war torn documentary. The desolate greyish landscapes are chilling but the 80s synth score was a choice. The visuals and atmosphere are what held it up for me. It is striking and very stylish and although both characters go on an emotional journey or sorts, I didn't especially feel like they were taking me on a journey with them.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Gavin Logan
'Steppenwolf' received it's North American Premiere at Fantasia '24 on July 27th
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