Come and See (1985)
Come and See (1985), directed by Elem Klimov, is a harrowing World War II drama that follows a Belarusian teenager who, after finding an old rifle, joins the local Soviet partisan resistance and is swept into the full, brutal reality of Nazi-occupied Belarus. Over the course of a few days he witnesses massacres, collective terror, and personal losses that strip away his childhood and drive him toward a breakdown; the film charts his transformation from an eager boy into a haunted, aged figure in an unflinching, almost mythic portrait of war. Seeing this film is an intense, immersive experience. Klimov’s direction and the film’s stark visual and sound design create a relentless, often nightmarish atmosphere: long, unbroken takes, close-ups that fix on faces and eyes, and a raw soundscape that turns ordinary noises into sources of dread. You will feel disoriented, overwhelmed, and deeply disturbed as the camera forces you to confront atrocities and their human cost without sentimentality or relief. Emotional responses commonly include shock, sorrow, nausea, and moral outrage—this is cinema that assaults the senses to make its point. The movie is both realistic and hallucinatory: it documents historical cruelty while also portraying the psychological collapse that large-scale violence inflicts on individuals and communities. Thematically, it’s an anti-war statement about lost innocence, collective trauma, and the impossibility of reconciling ordinary life with the horrors of genocide and occupation. Critics and viewers often call it one of the most devastating and important anti-war films ever made. Content warning: Come and See contains graphic violence, disturbing imagery, and intense psychological terror. It is a powerful, uncompromising film best approached prepared for a profoundly distressing but unforgettable cinematic experience.
Actors: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Laucevicius
Director: Elem Klimov
Runtime: 142 min
Genres: Drama, Thriller, War
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