Steppenwolf

Inspired by (and structured through quotes from) the famed German novel of the same name by Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf is, in its plot, essentially a samurai flick with a telegraphed conclusion. The film is set amidst 2022 Kazakh unrest known as Bloody January, though it mostly places itself above the politics, probably for obvious censor related reasons; the political setting in no way is essential to the specifics of the plot, even if the film does a good job capturing the relentless chaotic violence of the mass protests and the police retaliation where 227 people were killed and almost 10,000 people were arrested. A former convict, Brayuk (Berik Aitzhanov), seeks revenge on Taha (the mysterious and goonish big-bad guy who goes without a face for most of the film) for burning his family alive and Tamara (Anna Starchenko), a mute Slavic woman, looks for her missing child. Brayuk seems to believe Taha kidnapped her child — as part of a child organ theft business. Or, more accurately, he uses this as an excuse to mete a violent justice to the both the lawless criminals and useless cops that get in the way. Most of the time, the criminals are at the receiving end of his fists (or whatever non-weapon he uses as a weapon, such as a pair of scissors).

Adilkhan Yerzhanov, one of the most prolific directors in Central Asia, manages to capitalise on the same quirky energy, niche personality types and dorky panache associated with Wes Anderson, while also issuing his own approach over the years. His style is marked by genre iconography, empty landscapes with a peppering of strong colour, and unpleasant violence that almost devests the enjoyment out of the action tradition.

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