This 95%-Rated Drama Is One of the Most Piercing Movies About War You Won't Be Able to Watch Twice
The director doesn't give viewers a second's rest – this film must be watched through pain and tears.
Many movies have attempted to convey the horror of World War II, but none have quite captured it like Elem Klimov's war drama Come and See.
Released in 1985, the film still holds the unofficial title of being one of the most terrifying works in cinema history. Decades later, Come and See has not aged at all, and once you've seen it, you're unlikely to want to watch this nightmare again.
What Is 'Come and See' About?
The movie is set in occupied Belarus during World War II. The main character is Flyora, a fourteen-year-old boy.
At the beginning, he is just a child – a naive teenager who, upon finding a rifle in a field, goes off into the forest to join the partisans. He dreams of heroic deeds, but reality is completely different.
The detachment commander leaves the unprepared newcomer in the camp, and Flyora soon witnesses the Nazis' brutal punitive operation.
Elem Klimov's 'Come and See' Reimagined the Soviet Military Canon in Movies
When Come and See was first conceived in 1977, the project immediately faced censorship. The problem was that Klimov wanted to reimagine the genre of Soviet heroic war films.
Having won the war, the Soviet Union wanted to portray itself as a triumphant warrior, not a victim. The main theme of war movies was resistance to Nazism, not the deaths of innocent people. However, Klimov emphasized not the heroic deeds of arms, but the horror and madness of war.
Belarusian writer Ales Adamovich wrote the screenplay after collecting testimonies from eyewitnesses who had miraculously survived.
'Come and See' Is a Movie You Definitely Won't Want to Watch Again
Klimov's innovative cinematic methods were ahead of their time – he was one of the first filmmakers in the USSR to use a Steadicam, which creates a sense of total immersion in the action.
The soundtrack, filled with disjointed melodies, roars, and screams, transforms the scene into a nightmare. Unlike true horror films, Come and See contains virtually no blood or overtly shocking images, yet, the impact is extraordinary.
Klimov knew his movie would be difficult and almost unbearable to watch but he didn't expect it to be seen by nearly 30 million viewers in the USSR and later praised by directors such as Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, and Quentin Tarantino.
Most importantly, Come and See remains a unique testament to the fact that war tolerates no pathos, only the unbearable suffering of people who do not deserve it.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Come and See'?
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Come and See has 90% from critics and 95% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 8.3/10.
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On Letterboxd, Come and See scored 4.6/5.0.
Where to Watch 'Come and See'?
Come and See is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.
