Popular reviews

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  Review by Alexandru ★★★★½ 1

  The Soviets sent a man in space before the Americans, and made a Wes Anderson film before Wes Anderson.

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  Review by James 🇺🇦 ★★★★

  I never would have thought that Elim Klimov, the man behind one of the most horrifying and relentlessly powerful war films, Come and See was making charming satirical comedies twenty years prior.

  I didn't read any reviews on here beforehand, but immediately picked up the Wes Anderson aesthetic and noticed the similarities with Moonrise Kingdom, and seeing that movie mentioned straight away by someone here confirms my suspicions that Anderson has probably seen this and taken inspiration. Klimov's offbeat comedy, quirky, lovable characters and eye for symmetry makes it such an enjoyable watch, coupled with the very short runtime and dazzling camerawork, this is a real blast.

  A number of sequences employ fast paced chases where the camera is in…

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  Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★

  Criterion Channel, film #40

  Vegan alert:
  A kid kicks an overfed pig.

  Vegan points:
  Children run to the pig's defense.

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  Review by Beb ★★★★ 1

  My first film from Elem Klimov, what an impression! Hope his other movies have a similar taste for comedy!

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  Review by Jerry McGlothlin ★★★½

  Welcome, or No Trespassing is an adorable little film from Elem Klimov of all people, who would go on to make one of the most devastating and intense pieces of cinema of all time some 20+ years later with Come and See. Here though, he is working at his most wholesome, while still tackling themes like obedience and oppression in the context of a Soviet Young Pioneer Camp. This is clearly a metaphor for the government of the USSR, but it’s told in such a way that is too damn sweet and heartwarming for the strict Soviet censors to object to. Klimov’s ability for directing children is unmatched and you can be sure this was a big influence on Wes Anderson’s Moonrise…

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  Review by Stephen Gillespie ★★★★ 2

  Welcome to Sovietember, a month long 'challenge' by my good friend Para. If you don't follow Para, do so. They are, pretty much, the best person on Letterboxd.

  This comedy from Elem Klimov (yes, that Elem Klimov, and yes... A comedy) is wonderful. We already know from his much later film Come and See that he can direct children, this proves it on a larger scale. It is a tale of a holiday camp, of sorts, where a child is sent home but ends up staying and hiding. The numerous roles for children could lead to amateur acting and annoyance but, in Klimov's hands, all things are precision. This is such a well made film (not always the case for…

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  Review by Daniil333 ★★★★ 2

  Klimov is a master on directing children! Who could have thought that Klimov could make a horror film like Come and See and a family comedy that 100% inspired Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom! I recommend you to watch this film you can find it on youtube it has also a short runtime and english subtitles.

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  Review by syifa ★★★★ 2

  soviet kids are something else

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  Review by Ethan Lyon ★★★½

  3rd Elem Klimov (after Come and See and Larisa)

  Light and anarchic comedy that nonetheless has a sharp bite against the dreariness of organised fun and the general apparatus of a totalitarian state. Think of it in a similar vein to Animal Farm, only from an insider perspective, and it makes sense to a Westerner like me. Every strata of social class is on display, from the snitch with ties to power to the overly officious middle-management party leader, though the ending is far more whimsically absurd than Animal Farm. Klimov's genius is how he is able to adapt his style to suit whatever subject he's dealing with. You can certainly see small elements of the extremely expressive visual grammar…

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  Review by Daisoujou ★★★★ 2

  Better Late Than Never Film School Drop Outs 2019
  Week 23: Movement - Soviet New Wave

  What a great surprise, and something I almost definitely wouldn't have checked out without Film School Drop Outs. The film is a light comedy from the director of Come and See (I'm as surprised as you are), set in a Soviet camp for children. The contradiction of the title sets the tone for the whole film. Ostensibly this is a place for children to grow, have fun, and learn, but it's primarily about iron-fisted discipline and indoctrination. Time is spent on learning that camp is fun, not on actually making that statement true. As usual, this pathetic bit of authority and power turns a…

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  Review by Duncan HTH 🎥🎙 ★★★★

  If Francis Ford Coppola can direct Apocalypse Now and Jack, why can't Elem Klimov direct the horrific Come And See as well as the humorous Welcome, or No Trespassing?

  With playful camera work and proscenium staging set in a kids camp, it's easy to see why so many people on here are comparing it to Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom.

  Fun, sweet and silly!

  FFO/FFV
  Little Rascals - old time comedy
  Little Manhattan - for adults who were once kids
  Wet Hot American Summer - camp!!!
  Greener Grass - Funny kids!!! (I will promote this no matter how thin the connection is!)

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  Review by J ★★★½ 2

  quite a charming and light-hearted 80-minute film, Welcome, or No Trespassing frolics in its satirical humour and childish, toothy grin. a story of a boy's expulsion from camp after swimming in prohibited territories, his friends' silly theatrics and tricks in a ploy to hide and smuggle him back in time for Parents' Day partly backfires and backflips. though some quips and cracks shrivel sourly near the end of the film (and they hit a pig which made me flinch), the social commentary on absurdly strict Soviet child discipline underneath the superficial mindless fun stands out; so is its slight nod on the propaganda and censorship present, how this may stifle childhood curiosity. since the film can be taken as an implied allegory on the Soviet Union itself—with a dash of influence of the Trojan Horse legend on its penultimate episode—Klimov successfully packs plenty of significant subtleties without diminishing the simplicity of a comedic plot at face value.