Come and See Come and See

A boy is unwillingly thrust into the atrocities of war in WWII Byelorussia, fighting for a hopelessly unequipped resistance movement against the ruthless German forces. Witnessing scenes of abject terror and accidentally surviving horrifying situations he loses his innocence and then his mind.

Aleksey Kravchenko Olga Mironova Liubomiras Lauciavicius Vladas Bagdonas Jüri Lumiste Viktor Lorents Kazimir Rabetsky Yevgeni Tilicheyev Aleksandr Berda

Mosfilm Belarusfilm

action drama foreign history war

136 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

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  • KapKosmos

    Review by KapKosmos ★★★★

    Completely intense throughout, the scenes depicting the protagonist's mental collapse are particularly well done. The film's hindrance is that towards the end it gets somewhat propaganda-ish, it's pretty commonly held that Hitler was bad. also the main dude aged like 15 years by the end of the movie. "emotionally draining"

  • Jeremy Jones

    Review by Jeremy Jones ★★★★

    Come and See is the first Russian-made war film I've seen. It is sometimes hyper-realistic and at others very cerebral. The way the film creates an air of realism seems almost irresponsible, however. Live ammunition, massive explosions, children being crushed in massive crowds and visibly crying. As a viewer, I didn't like being complicit in that, and it would amaze me if someone didn't die during filming.

    Beyond that, though, there's quite a lot to like about the movie. The role of Flor is remarkably demanding, particularly when you consider it's being played by a young person. Aleksey Kravchenko was great, though I feel bad for him having to do some of the stuff he did on screen; wading through…

  • JossWhedonsdick

    Review by JossWhedonsdick ★★★★

    Here is a movie whose importance may overshadow the film itself. Come and See is unnerving and portentous, a psychological horror film following a Soviet boy named Fliora's spiral into madness during the German occupation of Belarus during WWII. It is likely as strong an anti-war statement as any, a deeply personal and exposed, raw and ugly, never comfortable close up of senselessness. In that regard, it is an unarguably necessary film, but falls short of being a masterpiece on account of jarring tonal shifts that disrupt a sense of narrative continuity.

    I'll speak first on what this film does right. When it succeeds, it succeeds in droves. When it ratchets up in intensity, all the pistons fire: serene landscapes…

  • Matthew Ekstrom

    Review by Matthew Ekstrom ★★★★★ 7

    JESUS FUCKING CHRIST ALMIGHTY THAT WAS INTENSE! I MEAN, I'VE SEEN PLENTY OF INTENSE STUFF BEFORE, INCLUDING SCHINDLER'S LIST AND A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING ON THIS LEVEL OF HORROR! IT'S SO FUCKING FRIGHTENING AND GRUESOME! WHY OH WHY DID I HAVE TO WATCH THIS AT SUCH A YOUNG FUCKING AGE GODAMMIT?! NOW I WILL BE TRAUMATIZED FOR MY WHOLE GODAWFUL MISERABLE LIFE! NEVER EVER AGAIN WILL I WATCH THIS MOTHERFUCKING MASTERPIECE! YOU WARNED ME RODNEY, AND I DIDN'T LISTEN!

    Alright, my apologies for the outburst, I just can't seem to get over the shocking scars that Elem Klimov's notorious Come and See have left on me. Although technically a war film, it's actually a terrifying fusion…

  • William Wong

    Review by William Wong ★★★★★ 1

    One of the most emotionally devastating piece of art to ever grace the screen, Elim Klimov's final film is the cinematic equivalent of falling into the seventh circle of hell. While the gore level is not particularly high, the pure nihilism and senseless destruction eclipses the impact of any other war film made before or ever since. The closest thing I can compare it with is the novel Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy which bares a striking resemblance in terms of plot and protagonist but deriving from a completely era and setting. At its dark heart, both work reveals the ugliest and most gruesome part of the human soul and the horrors that we are capable of inflicting upon our fellow man. It never preaches or compromises, it just tells us the truth until the bleak bitter end.

  • kungen

    Review by kungen ★★★★½

    I am the kind of guy who likes new things. It does not matter what it is as long as its new. All the old things are considered "old crap". This movie is borderline being "old crap", despite the crap thing. Several months ago I stumbled upon a list here on Letterboxd that were about top war movies ever. The others on that list I had seen so I put this one in my watchlist despite the fact that it is quite old. Thanks to Letterboxd I have now seen, if not the best at last one of top five best war movies ever. The acting, the music, the setting, the story and the makeup is top of the line. At times you are not sure wether its actual footage or not.
    If you have not seen it, do it, you wont regret it.

  • Andrew Willis

    Review by Andrew Willis ★★★★½ 5

    If I had to sum up this review into one word, it would be “intense”.

    COME AND SEE is a gut punch of a movie in nearly every aspect. The story alone is an upsetting tale of one innocent Russian boy that leaves his home and joins the Russian army to help them defend against the German Nazi army. He is then exposed to the horrors of war and comes of age quicker than any child should have to.

    One thing that really set this movie apart from the other WWII films is the soundtrack. There is such a rich overlay of sounds and noises and voices. It is very haunting and it creates a nightmarish atmosphere.

    Then there are…

  • Peter Schneider

    Review by Peter Schneider ★★★★★

    The Apocalpyse is here. Come and See. And never forget. Brilliant acting from the lead and even more fascinating camera and sound work. It's an attack on every sense.

  • BillyBurnsMovie

    Review by BillyBurnsMovie ★★★★★

    Best depiction of hell on earth ever conceived. Intoxicating, hallucinogenic and sits beside many of the great out-there art-house films of the past.