Steppenwolf (1 Star)

This is the 31st film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

I'll say it straight away: this is one of the worst films I've ever seen. Visually, it's competently filmed, but its atmosphere is so negative that I can't say anything else positive about it.

A woman called Tamara has lost her son Timka. She goes to a police station to ask for help, but the police are overrun by rebels who kill everyone. Tamara stands like an idiot while people are shooting one another all around her. The only survivor is a policeman called Brayuk who specialises in torturing prisoners. Brayuk offers to help her, and they set off on a journey across the country to find Timka. The similarity with "Mad Max" is obvious.

Here's the problem: when you have a film with two main characters, you need to sympathise with them. In "Steppenwolf" it's not possible. The woman is obviously mentally unhinged. When she's asked questions, she just says, "I need to find Timka. He was on the swings. Then he was gone". She annoys Brayuk, and he sometimes hits her, trying to make her talk sensibly.

As for Brayuk, he's one of the most disgusting characters I've ever seen in a film. I could have accepted him as a bad guy, but he's set up as the hero who's helping Tamara find her son. He shoots everyone he meets on the way. For instance, he sees an old man playing a guitar by the roadside. The man stops, so Brayuk tells him to carry on. The old man continues, while Brayuk and Tamara stand listening. After a few minutes Brayuk shoots the man in the head and they continue.

Why?

Killing is all Brayuk can do.

This is a dreadful film. I spoke to the festival organiser afterwards. I said I was disgusted with the film, and the organiser told me that that was the director's intention. That's no excuse for making a bad movie.