Come and See
To Love, To Have Children
Overview
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
Backdrop
What makes this movie Worth Watching
Come and See was made during the Soviet era, as the USSR sought to solidify its narrative of sacrifice and heroism during WWII. The film's unflinching depiction of Nazi brutality served as a reminder of the cost of war and a reinforcement of national identity, while also subtly critiquing the dehumanizing effects of conflict on individuals, regardless of their affiliation.
- The film's unflinching and brutal depiction of the atrocities committed by the Nazi Einsatzgruppen on the Eastern Front is a powerful and unforgettable anti-war statement.
- Aleksey Kravchenko's performance as Flyora, a young boy who ages decades in a matter of days due to the horrors he witnesses, is incredibly raw and emotionally affecting.
- The film's surreal and nightmarish atmosphere, created through innovative cinematography and sound design, immerses the viewer in Flyora's traumatized perspective.
- It serves as a crucial historical document, preserving the memory of the Belarusian genocide, often overshadowed by other aspects of World War II.
Fun Facts
- Director Elem Klimov reportedly used live ammunition near Aleksey Kravchenko during filming to elicit genuine fear and reaction.
- The cow burned alive on screen was controversially real, although Klimov claimed it was an old cow about to be slaughtered anyway.
- The film was initially rejected by Soviet censors for being too graphic and 'pessimistic' before Klimov was able to get the film approved.
Available Languages
English
US
Title: Come and See
"To Love, To Have Children"
Italiano
IT
Title: Va' e vedi
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Pусский
RU
Title:
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Français
FR
Title: Requiem pour un massacre
"Va et regarde."
Deutsch
DE
Title: Komm und sieh
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Español
ES
Title: Ven y mira
"Un Film de Elem Klimov"
Where to Watch
Cast
Crew
Reviews
This has got to be the perfect antidote to the Hollywood treatment of a war film. It's bleak, grim and repulsive - and all in a great, intentional, cinematographic fashion. The thread centres around the young "Flyora" (a superb effort from Aleksey Kravchenko) who is taken from his Belorussian family farm at gunpoint (along with anything it's possible to eat) by the invading Nazi troops. What now ensues follows this young man as he escapes his captors, finds an old rifle and determines to join up with the communists who are fighting almost insurmountable odds to thwart their encroaching, heavily armed, foe. What really resonates here is the simplicity of the production. There are no specials effects, no CGI to create many when there are few - it tells the simplest of stories in a manner that is truly brutal at times, then truly evocative at others. Man's inhumanity to man and all that - but writ large and depicting an invading army devoid of any semblance of humanity on just about every level. The experiences of this young man are truly horrific, but the presentation here is not especially graphic - though it's not for the faint hearted. We are shown what is happening, but Elem Klimov leaves plenty of scope for our own imagination to augment, if that is actually possible, the true grotesqueness of war, of random killings and destruction and all quite possibly exacerbated by the fact that the conquerors had no real idea what they were doing, or why - the film almost imbues them with the characteristics of the wildest of animals who enjoy their regime of torture and malevolence for the sake of it. The ending has a certain degree of vindication about it - but oddly enough it's not especially satisfying. The emotional exhaustion of the viewer has long since set in, and the true fate of what I can only really call these uniformed bullies is just, yet somehow inadequate. The film is gently paced, it could almost be a video diary as young "Flyora" meets and hides from those he encounters and we share his fears and risks en route. This is really well worth a watch but it's not an easy one.
Oscar Awards
Wins
Haven't Won A Oscar
Nominations
Haven't Nominated for Oscar
Media
Trailer
COME AND SEE Trailer
Featurette
Katie Mitchell introduces Come and See