Spurred by his own postmodern musings and the growing inequality, corruption, and kill-or-be-killed ethic of post-Soviet Kazakhstan, a solitary philosophy student steers his directionless life toward the commission of a violent crime, which leads to growing guilt.

Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is transposed to modern-day Kazakhstan, drawing a portrait of the country’s political and mental state through a philosophy student and a panoply of side characters. This lo-fi tale was selected in various film festivals worldwide, including Cannes and Toronto!