The Land of Sasha (Russian: Страна Саша, romanizedStrana Sasha) is a Russian coming-of-age film directed by Yulia Trofimova,[2] filmed by Vega Film based on the young adult book of the same name by Russian writer Gala Uzryutova.[3][4]

The Land of Sasha
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYulia Trofimova
Written byYulia Trofimova
Elizaveta Tikhonova
Maria Shulgina
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyYegor Povolotskiy
Edited byMarcel Shamshulin
Music bySergei Stern
Color processVadim Saprykin
Production
company
Vega Film[1]
Distributed byCentral Partnership
Release date
  • 2022 (2022)
Running time
83 min.
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian

The world premiere of the film took place on February 15, 2022, in Berlin, the film was included in the Generation 14+ program of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[5][6]

Plot edit

17-year-old Sasha cannot decide where to go and avoids serious relationships with girls. In his indecision, he blames his father, who abandoned him in early childhood. Acquaintance with an unusual girl Zhenya and a meeting with his father make him grow up.[7][8]

Cast edit

  • Mark Eidelstein as Sasha
  • Maria Matsel as Zhenya
  • Yevgenia Gromova as Sophia, Sasha's mother
  • Dmitry Endaltsev as Maxim
  • Alisa Tarasenko as Liza
  • Maxim Shpakovsky as Sasha's father
  • Daria Rumyantseva as Natella

Reception edit

Box office edit

The Land of Sasha has grossed $221 960.[8]

Critical response edit

In 2022, the film was longlisted for the Golden Eagle National Cinematography Award, established by the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia, in the nominations Best Feature Film and Best Actor in a Movie (Mark Eidelstein).[9]

Zoe Aiano from East European Film Bulletin notes in its review that "while ‘Land of Sasha’ is largely traditional, it also subtly departs from numerous representational clichés, but always keeps it in the background without overburdening the characters or plot with a clumsy remark".[10]

According to Timur Aliev (Forbes Russia), "Trofimova's film looks like a holistic, multifaceted statement about the nature of a new generation of young men and women, which means that the director managed to write a three-dimensional portrait of today's youth".[11]

References edit

  1. ^ "The Land of Sasha (2022)". vegafilm.ru.
  2. ^ "13 главных фильмов июля: "Страна Саша" и "Шербурские зонтики"". film.ru. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  3. ^ В «Художественном» покажут мелодраму Юлии Трофимовой «Страна Саша» (in Russia)
  4. ^ "В Минкультуры прокомментировали участие российских фильмов в Берлинале". Российская газета (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  5. ^ "Российский фильм "Страна Саша" вошёл в программу Берлинале "Поколение 14+"". Российская газета. Archived from the original on 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  6. ^ "The Land of Sasha". berlinale.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  7. ^ "«Сердце Пармы», «Казнь» и «Ника»: 10 лучших российских фильмов 2022 года". kinoafisha.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  8. ^ a b The Land of Sasha at the KinoPoisk
  9. ^ "Национальная Академия кинематографических искусств и наук России объявляет лонг-лист Национальной Премии в области кинематографии "Золотой орёл"". kinoacademy.ru. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  10. ^ Make Summer Last Forever. Retrieved March 2022.
  11. ^ «Страна Саша»: честное кино о современных подростках, детстве без отца и взрослении. 2022-07-14.

External links edit