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
Seventeen-year-old Sasha struggles to choose a university and shies away from serious relationships with girls, blaming his indecision on his father, who abandoned him in early childhood. Meeting an unusual girl named Zhenya, along with a confrontation with his father, forces Sasha to finally face adulthood.[7][8]
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]
