Dau. Katya Tanya [top] May 2026

DAU. Katya Tanya

The film (2020) is a pivotal entry in Ilya Khrzhanovskiy’s massive and controversial DAU project, a cinematic experiment that blurred the lines between reality and fiction by housing participants in a meticulously reconstructed Soviet "Institute" for years. Unlike other entries that focus on the brutal bureaucracy of the Stalinist era, Katya Tanya centers on an intimate, forbidden romance between two women. Narrative Core: Love Against the State

DAU. Katya Tanya (2020) is a dramatic feature film within the massive, controversial DAU project directed by Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and Jekaterina Oertel. Movie Overview DAU. Katya Tanya

Rating:

★★★★☆ (4/5 - Masterful but excruciating) Streaming: Available on the DAU Cinema platform (Mubi previously held rights, check local listings). Similar films: Requiem for a Dream (psychological collapse), Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay (domestic dread), The Piano Teacher (eroticized suffering). Narrative Core: Love Against the State DAU

Authenticity:

Participants lived in a massive, specially constructed set in Kharkiv for years, following 1950s Soviet rules, wearing period clothing, and eating period food. Similar films: Requiem for a Dream (psychological collapse),

This is where the DAU project’s central ethical paradox becomes unbearable. Is this art, or is it abuse with a camera rolling?