Come and See (1985)
Director: Elem Klimov
Stars: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Laucevicius Runtime: 142 minutes
Synopsis: After finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II.
Performances: 10/10
Screenplay: 9/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Screenplay: 9/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Verdict: Elem Klimov's "Come and See" is one of the most powerful war films ever made. Taking place in Belarus during WW2, it follows a young boy's journey as a member of the Soviet resistance movement and sees him witnessing the horrors and inhumanities of the conflict.
Aleksey Kravchenko's facial expressions combined with Klimov's technical execution make the movie an extremely immersive one, for better or worse. It invites you into the mind of the protagonist, turning the viewers into active participants in the narrative. You'll almost get out of it with PTSD because it features some scenes that are very difficult to get through. Klimov doesn't hold back on anything and goes to extreme lengths to make the movie as realistic as possible, going as far as to use authentic uniforms and live ammunition. Due to the horrific nature of some scenes and the young age of the lead, he even attempted to hypnotize Aleksey Kravchenko so that he wouldn't be too affected by their intensiveness but failed to do so, which resulted unfortunately in the actor's hair turning gray.
"Come and See" is a masterpiece that will leave you in a state of shock. The inhumane and sickening actions carried out by the Nazi soldiers in Belarus, which at the time was still part of the Soviet Union, will leave you both disgusted and distressed due to the realistic and immersive nature of the movie. But at the same time, its importance makes it a necessary watch that includes it in the same category of films in which "Schindler's List" belongs, for instance.
Aleksey Kravchenko's facial expressions combined with Klimov's technical execution make the movie an extremely immersive one, for better or worse. It invites you into the mind of the protagonist, turning the viewers into active participants in the narrative. You'll almost get out of it with PTSD because it features some scenes that are very difficult to get through. Klimov doesn't hold back on anything and goes to extreme lengths to make the movie as realistic as possible, going as far as to use authentic uniforms and live ammunition. Due to the horrific nature of some scenes and the young age of the lead, he even attempted to hypnotize Aleksey Kravchenko so that he wouldn't be too affected by their intensiveness but failed to do so, which resulted unfortunately in the actor's hair turning gray.
"Come and See" is a masterpiece that will leave you in a state of shock. The inhumane and sickening actions carried out by the Nazi soldiers in Belarus, which at the time was still part of the Soviet Union, will leave you both disgusted and distressed due to the realistic and immersive nature of the movie. But at the same time, its importance makes it a necessary watch that includes it in the same category of films in which "Schindler's List" belongs, for instance.
FINAL GRADE: 9/10
Comments
Post a Comment