Dasha

The documentary “Dasha” is a story of a 7-year-old girl, one of the main characters of the popular TV series Kindergartenland, a hit of the autumn 2002. The series presented the children’s world as a magic land. The kids fought, were up to mischief every now and then, but always made it up in the end, because having fun was what really mattered in the kindergarten. Dasha puts things in a different perspective. To complement some selected scenes from the kindergarten the camera bears witness to Dasha’s private and family life. As it turns out, the real life is a far cry from that in the kindergarten. Failures and difficulties are no longer part of children’s play and whatever has been said or done can hardly be taken back or undone. With remarkable maturity for a 7-year-old Dasha relates her last year’s ups and downs. It was her final year in the kindergarten and also the year her parents split up. Even though she strives to understand the life and conduct of grown-ups, Dasha tends to seek refuge in the world of fantasy. Her games, innocent and carefree in the beginning, develop, as time goes on, into a parody of adult behavior. Dasha puts on her rose-colored spectacles to feel reassured that if she loves both her parents with equal intensity, they will someday be reunited.