DAU. Degeneration (2020) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place in a secret Soviet scientific institute hidden within the Soviet system. This secluded, decaying facility is devoted to controversial experiments, operating under an atmosphere of surveillance and secrecy typical of the Cold War era.

• soviet institute
• secret facility
• setting
• cold war location

The events unfold during the mid-to-late 1960s, specifically 1966–1968, in the Soviet Union. This period was characterized by intensified state oversight, Cold War paranoia, and a crackdown on dissent and perceived degeneracy.

• 1960s
• soviet era
• time period
• cold war
• 1966-1968

The film explores three interconnected themes: the ethical cost of pushing scientific boundaries when experiments involve vulnerable subjects; power and control as the KGB-led purge turns the institute into a battleground of competing agendas; and dissent and change as younger staff embrace Western influences, challenging the old regime's order.

• ethics
• power
• control
• dissent
• themes
• scientific hubris

The film questions whether scientific curiosity justifies unethical means, especially when experiments involve animals and humans. It shows how power distorts research priorities and erases ethical safeguards, depicting the tension between discovery and responsibility.

• scientific ethics
• experiments
• moral cost
• research ethics

Authority tightens its grip as the KGB enforces loyalty over open inquiry. Surveillance and coercive discipline replace scientific freedom, turning the facility into a battleground where competing agendas clash under a regime of fear, resulting in a destabilized scholarly community.

• kgb
• power
• control
• surveillance
• political loyalty
• purge

Younger staff push back by embracing Western influences and new ideas, creating a cultural shift within the institute. This clash between old regime permissiveness and new order sparks personal and professional risk, examining whether resistance can alter a tightly controlled institution's course.

• dissent
• western influences
• cultural shift
• resistance
• younger staff

Vladimir Azhippo is a KGB general who becomes the institute's director, enforcing a strict authoritarian regime. He clamps down on the old permissive culture, uses surveillance to exert control, and orchestrates a violent purge to restore discipline, embodying political intrusion into scientific work.

• vladimir azhippo
• kgb general
• director
• authoritarian
• purge

Alexey Blinov is the Head of the Experimental Department, a driven and pragmatic figure navigating the climate of crackdown. He balances scientific ambition with institutional pressure, often caught in the crossfire of power struggles and ethical debates.

• alexey blinov
• experimental department
• scientist
• pragmatic

Dmitry Kaledin is the Head of the Theoretical Department, an intellectual who must steer his department amid political pressure. He grapples with maintaining theory-driven research while contending with competing ambitions and ideological intrusion.

• dmitry kaledin
• theoretical department
• intellectual
• scientific theory

Maxin Martsinkevich is the Head of the Experimental Group who must reckon with the purge's consequences on the research community. He contends with political interference while defending the ethos of fearless exploration, highlighting the human cost of institutional upheaval.

• maxim martsinkevich
• experimental group
• research community
• political interference

The institute engaged in disturbing scientific and occult experiments attempting to create the ideal human being. The facility used animals, humans, and even infants in trials that pushed the boundaries of knowledge, reflecting the era's tension between scientific ambition and ethical limits.

• experiments
• scientific research
• human experiments
• occult
• ideal human

The institute hummed with quiet but unsettling activity, characterized by surveillance and secrecy. The atmosphere reflected the era's tension between scientific ambition and political control, creating a tense environment where unethical research thrived under the guise of state secrecy.

• atmosphere
• surveillance
• secrecy
• tension
• cold war facility