The rather prolific Adilkhan Yerzhanov (15 features in 12 years) has already established his own style, by including elements of US b-movies, Western, action and violence, and a rather bleak sense of humor that make his movies quite entertaining. “Steppenwolf” continues in the same path, in a pure genre film that is inspired by the 1956 John Ford movie, “The Searchers”.
Steppenwolf is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Tamara, a young woman who seems to suffer from mental issues, is walking around a small town where the police is clashing with some sort of armed groups, in search of her missing son who has been kidnapped by child organ traffickers. Bullets do not seem to touch her, but the fact that she can barely speak does not help her cause, as the people around her mostly ignore her. Eventually, she stumbles upon ‘The Steppenwolf' a man the corrupt police hire to torture convicts into confession, after the precinct he ‘worked' in is stormed, and, in her desperation, decides to hire him to help her in her search. ‘The Steppenwolf' proves as capable in his search and killing people as he is sadistic, but the trip of the two is much longer than they could anticipate.
Adilkhan Yerzhanov shoots a film combining elements of road movie, action thriller and black comedy while implementing a style of action and violence that points towards a survival horror video game, with the utopian setting and the kill-and-proceed style of the story moving directly towards this path. Apart from the ‘two of us against the world', however, the fact that a situation that points towards a civil war is unfolding all around them, as much as the unusual antagonism between the two, adds smore layers to the narrative, which Yerzhanov uses to make the action even more intricate. Evidently, there is not much context here, and one would have to look pretty hard to find some minor comments about corruption and perhaps the place of women in the world, in an approach that benefits the most by the unapologetic approach the director takes regarding the simplicity of the film.
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At the same time, the deadpan, black humor that permeates the story is excellently interspersed among the action and the violence, even more so since it mostly derives from a sadistic maniac, with the scenes where he is dancing, the one where a man discovers him sitting and the whole concept of the ‘funky glasses' highlighting this element in the most eloquent fashion. The whole approach Yerzhanov implemented here, however, finds its apogee in the finale, which is equally shocking, funny, and ‘stripped' in the most entertaining way possible.
“Steppenwolf” is probably Yerzhanov's most beautiful movie, with the way the bleakness of the dystopian setting is juxtaposed with the occasional beauties the two stumble upon, as in the case of the long shots of the sunset, being impressively captured by DP Yerkinbek Ptyraliyev, who also thrives in the many night shots and the way he frames the action, again reminding of a video game. Arif Tleuzhanov and Yerzhanov's own editing results in a very fitting, relatively fast pace, while at 102 minutes, the movie definitely does not overextend its welcome. Lastly, the 80's-like electronic music by Galymzhan Moldanazar adds to the overall aesthetics of the movie, while fitting the whole narrative approach here to perfection.
Berik Aytzhanov as The Steppenwolf gives an astonishing performance, combining his brutality with his sense of humor and his permeating nihilism in the best fashion. His antithesis with Anna Starchenko's Tamara works quite well for the movie, with the two presenting both the funny and the violent interactions between them with equal artistry.
“Steppenwolf” is a great genre movie by a director who has managed to reinvigorate the category by stripping it to its bare minimum, while retaining a rather smart sense of humor that highlights his intelligent filmmaking.
