In a war torn, neo apocalyptic Kazakhstan, director Adilkhan Yerzhanov drops us right in the middle of the action in the opening moments of Steppenwolf. Caught in the middle of a war between the police and a rebel/outlaw faction, we first meet Brajyuk (Berik Aitzhanov), a former police officer turned brutal interrogator. Brayjuk has lost almost all of humanity after the murder of his family by one of the vicious rebel leaders. As a violent and brutal assault on the local police depot rages on, Tamara (Anna Starchenko) just walks calmly in. Shell shocked and despondent, and also possibly on the spectrum, Tamara is frantically looking for her son Timka, who has been abducted and possibly sold to the other side.

This violent opening paints a bleak picture of what’s to come over the entire runtime. This is uncompromising filmmaking and no one is beyond it. Brajyuk is a brutal companion for Tamara, often slapping her to get the answers he desires. But his history also draws him to help her in this situation. Aitzhanov plays Barjyuk as a blunt weapon, emotionless about his actions, but also a fierce defender and companion. Starchenko has the harder, less showy role of the pair and she imbues Tamara with a stoic strength that grows throughout the film.

There’s not a lot of room for levity here, but the nod to Thelma and Louise in the third act was welcome to see. There’s no doubt that Yerzhanov’s main goal behind the camera was to show the desolation that the unlikely pair needed to work through. All the way through to the bloody ending, the trip manages to remain engaging, mainly due to the excellent work of its two leads.