The Land of Sasha

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

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.

Plot
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.

Cast

 * 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

Box office
The Land of Sasha has grossed $221 960.

Critical response
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).

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".

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".