Dau. Katya Tanya May 2026

A recreated Soviet research institute functioning as both film set and social laboratory: austere corridors, communal living quarters, staged laboratories, and social rituals that blend scripted scenes with unscripted daily life. The environment blurs the boundary between acting and authentic behavior.

There are no police in this film. No neighbors intervene. No family calls. In the closed system of the DAU universe—much like the closed system of a totalitarian state or an abusive relationship—there is no justice, only physics. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction of pain.

The film refuses catharsis. There is no dramatic escape, no final breaking point. The final frames suggest that tomorrow will be exactly like today. Tanya will cook dinner. Katya will accuse her of poisoning it. And they will fall into the same bed, because the abyss between them is easier to face than the silence of being alone. DAU. Katya Tanya

"DAU. Katya Tanya" represents a fascinating intersection of cinema and reality, storytelling and documentation. Through its unique approach to narrative and character development, the film offers viewers a chance to engage with the material on a profound level. As a piece of cinematic art, it challenges conventions and invites reflection on the nature of storytelling and the power of film to capture the human experience.

(0:00-0:10) [Close up, Handheld Camera] The camera shakes slightly. We see a clipboard. A hand ticks a box aggressively. Katya (Voiceover): "Subject 7 is rejecting the narrative. Pulse is erratic." Tanya (Off-screen): "He’s not rejecting it, Katya. He’s feeling it." A recreated Soviet research institute functioning as both

(0:10-0:25) [Wide Shot] The two women stand over a table. Between them is a strange, spinning metal device (a gyroscope or a lens). Katya: "Science requires objectivity. You are contaminating the variable with your empathy." Tanya: (Leans in close to the device) "And you are sterilizing the human soul. Look at him."

(0:25-0:40) [POV Shot] The camera zooms in on a monitor/screen where a blurred figure (the subject) is breathing heavily. Katya: "We need to reset the parameters." Tanya suddenly slams her hand on the table. Tanya: "No! We push further. We find the breaking point. That is the only way we get the truth." No neighbors intervene

(0:40-0:45) [Cut to Black] Sound of a ticking clock stops abruptly. Text on Screen: THE EXPERIMENT CONTINUES. Caption: "In the search for truth, who is the real prisoner? The subject, or the observer?"