Dau. Katya Tanya May 2026

DAU. Katya Tanya: The Architecture of Humiliation and the Gaze

In the sprawling, controversial universe of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s DAU project—a re-creation of a Stalin-era Soviet research institute populated by non-professional actors living under totalitarian conditions for years—most films feel like artifacts smuggled out of a crime scene. But DAU. Katya Tanya (2020) is different. It feels like the crime itself.

The film stars:

The story spans a decade, following Katya (Ekaterina Yuspina), a librarian at the Institute, through her search for genuine connection. DAU. Katya Tanya

DAU — Katya & Tanya

Overview

DAU is a multidisciplinary film project and cultural phenomenon centered on the life and experiments of Soviet physicist Lev Landau and the reconstruction of a Soviet-era institute as a living set. For Katya and Tanya, two fictional (or real, depending on context) figures connected to DAU, this write-up traces their roles, motivations, interactions, and emotional journeys within the DAU environment. Katya Tanya (2020) is different

Discussion:

Rating: ★★★½ (Artistic ambition, moral complexity)
Warning: Contains pervasive psychological abuse, coercive control, and non-simulated emotional distress. DAU — Katya & Tanya Overview DAU is