In film, some films are made for the sole purpose of confronting, unsettling, and forcing unforgettable memories into people’s minds.
Very few movies manage to do this as well as the 1985 WWII film “Come and See,” which has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, pulling in new generations of viewers with its brutal depiction of war crimes.
Viewers describe this Soviet anti-war film as ‘one of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen’, and insist it’s a movie you must see ‘at least once in your life’.
Due out early next year, the film is part of the director Elem Klimov’s Dokkumenta (Documentary), about a young teenage boy Flyora who sees horrors beyond imagination during the time of Nazi occupation in Belarus.
We are dropped into scenes of war from the innocent eyes of innocence disintegrating, unrelentingly, and aggressively told by Klimov.
“One of the things that someone said that absolutely sums this film up is that this is not a fun film, this is not something we come out and enjoy, it’s something we need.”
Based on Ales Adamovich’s 1971 novel Khatyn and the 1977 collection of survivor testimonies I Am from the Fiery Village, Come and See is based heavily on real accounts from hundreds of survivors.
A searingly unfiltered film born of Klimov’s own childhood memories of WWII, the movie was painstakingly crafted by the director.
To give the young actor playing Flyora, Aleksei Kravchenko, the right tone for the traumatic scenes he would shoot, he was even shown real footage of Nazi concentration camps.
Perhaps the most horrific 25 minutes from hell comes with a scene wherein Flyora was forced to watch as an entire village was burned alive in a church, at the hands of Nazis.
Kravchenko himself referred to the exhausting tasks he had to perform in his role, saying he was “treating me … as a grown up,” and “to sweat my brow.”
The stars undertook intense physical preparation to bring more grit to the film, and to the extent that Kravchenko went through bars of raw eggs and bacon as part of the grueling exercise regime, and dodged live rounds of ammunition when guns blazed.
‘Come and See’ has become a favorite for countless viewers around the world and enjoys acclaim from all over.
It’s “one of the greatest anti war films,” according to reviews, and some have dubbed it “the greatest war film ever made.”
It’s the same accorded by critics; Robert Daniels of “The Playlist” appreciates the perspective, noting, “By telling the story from a child’s perspective, Klimov gives the horrors of war a fresh immediacy.”
In the meantime, Matt Brunson at “Film Frenzy” called the film’s depiction of conflict “one of the most devastating depictions of conflict ever placed on screen.”
Nearly four decades after its release, “Come and See” has hit a milestone on Letterboxd, the social media site for film lovers.
“Come and See” was selected as “the number one highest narrative feature film of all time in 2022” both in terms of praise and acclaim.
This chilling masterpiece still functions as a sobering reminder of some of the unspeakable horrors of war; it is an experience, viewers report, that is deeply disturbing but necessary.
It’s a “passionate warning against war”, Klimov himself explained, and it’s left audiences moved to the core long after the credits roll.
