Come and See (Idi i smotri) (1985)

95% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
95% of users liked it
(6,996 ratings)

A rare look at World War II from the Soviet side, Come and See is based on the real-life experiences of Ales Adamovich, who fought with Russian partisans in Belarus in 1943, when the Nazis systematically torched over 600 villages and slaughtered their inhabitants. Adamovich and director Elem Klimov… More A rare look at World War II from the Soviet side, Come and See is based on the real-life experiences of Ales Adamovich, who fought with Russian partisans in Belarus in 1943, when the Nazis systematically torched over 600 villages and slaughtered their inhabitants. Adamovich and director Elem Klimov co-authored the screenplay, which shows the horrors through the eyes of a 13-year-old peasant boy named Florya (Alexei Kravchenko). Over his single mother's protests, he joins the partisans, but they leave him behind in their camp when they set off to fight the Germans. Glascha (Olga Mironova), a lovely young girl, befriends him, but the two are caught in the midst of an air raid which leaves Florya nearly deaf. Now utterly frightened, Florya and Glascha return to his village to find it in ruins, and, in one of the film's many harrowing scenes, they wade through a swamp to locate the survivors. Now committed to seek vengeance for the death of his mother and neighbors, Florya returns to the front, but finds himself in a village that's right in the path of the Nazi firestorm. A band of partisans arrive too late to save the village but in time to capture and mete out justice to several of the Nazi officers. Awarded the Grand Prix at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival, Come and See is notable as an honest and unflinching portrait of one of the darker chapters among many in the history of the World War II. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Elem Klimov
Written By: Elem Klimov, Ales Adamovich
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 17, 1985 Wide
On DVD: Oct 23, 2001
Studio: Kino International

Critic Reviews

Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
I suppose that never forgetting has its place, but not when it insists on such narrowly righteous fantasies of revenge.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Come and See, the last and most notable film made by the former Soviet director Elem Klimov, is another fusion of popular and vanguard styles, albeit put to more civic-minded use.
Walter Goodman, New York Times
Scene for scene, Mr. Klimov proves a master of a sort of unreal realism that seeks to get at events terrible beyond comprehension.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Come and See sounds like an invitation to a child's game. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Perhaps the most terrifying, nightmarish film anyone has ever made about war.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An unforgettable nightmarish vision of excessive violence and cruelty.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Every scene drives home its point, plainly, that man's inhumanity to man is incurable.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
a helluva journey, told with with brutal bluntness and numbing, unflinching realism.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Or: Ivan Got His Gun
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
One of the greatest films ever made, Elem Klimov's anti-war masterpiece is ironically named, as those with weak stomachs may want to steer clear.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Stalingrad-born Elem Klimov's "Come and See" is a undiluted expression of cinematic poetry in the service of an unspeakably turbulent anti-war narrative about the 628 Byelorussian Villages burnt to the ground along with their inhabitants by the Nazis duri
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A highly charged, emotionally exhausting indictment of war and the inhumanity of the Nazis, set in Byelorussia during the 1943 Nazi invasion.
Adam Nayman, eye WEEKLY
In Klimov's unshakable vision, death is casual, safety is impossible and beauty is backwards: this is peerlessly gorgeous filmmaking about absolute ugliness.
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
Occupying territory somewhere between Ivan's Childhood and Fateless, Come And See is an intimate epic in which all the promise of adolescence is perverted by war.
Ian Nathan, Empire Magazine
A relentless masterpiece, and a brilliant study of the cause and effect nature of brutality.
Wally Hammond, Time Out
A disorienting and undifferentiated amalgam of almost lyrical poeticism and expressionist nightmare.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
This Soviet-era Russian film displays the horrors of World War II in a manner that makes The Deer Hunter look like The Green Berets.
Sam Jordison, Film4
This is a real horror film -- it's painful to watch and there's no escape through thinking it's only a movie -- and it's correspondingly impressive.
Steven Snyder, Greater Milwaukee Today
Almost too chilling....it haunts beyond the point of entertainment.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

A rare jewel from cinema history, a painful and unforgettable film, a classic by Elem Klimov; Come and See (Idi i Smotri) is a picture that everybody must see.
Tsubaki S

It's another war film about the victims, but shot with a lot of style, as if it was an operatic nightmare. While the movie starts exploring the character of Florya. the entire second half is nazis killing russians, with a revenge fantasy playing at the end. As a war film it is a… More
It's another war film about the victims, but shot with a lot of style, as if it was an operatic nightmare. While the movie starts exploring the character of Florya. the entire second half is nazis killing russians, with a revenge fantasy playing at the end. As a war film it is a crude and direct portrayal of the atrocities of war, but it leaves not much room for anything else, including it's characters.
Randy T

I don't recall ever seeing a more powerful anti-war film. The transformation of Florya (Aleksei Kravchenko) from an innocent boy into a battle-hardened soldier is something that must be witnessed in order to be fully appreciated.
El Hombre I

Unlike any war film I've seen before. The story involves a rite-of-passage of a young Byelorussian villager who is drafted into the army to fight the Nazis during WWII. This film not only shows the horrors of war, but throws you right in the middle of it, showing the… More
Unlike any war film I've seen before. The story involves a rite-of-passage of a young Byelorussian villager who is drafted into the army to fight the Nazis during WWII. This film not only shows the horrors of war, but throws you right in the middle of it, showing the receiving end of the Nazi's raid that spread to over 600 villages being burned. An unrelenting, waking nightmare with sounds and visuals unmatched by any other war film. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=come20and20see_preview.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/come20and20see_preview.jpg" border="0" alt="Come And See"></a>
Pierluigi P

Remarkable and unsettling recount of the holocaust in Byelorussia. Director Elem Klimov's approach is crude, brutal and precise, just the right tone for this horrific odyssey of inhumanity, death and utter chaos. the final montage is spellbinding.
Stella D

the trouble begins with the children...this has to be one of the most brutal war films ever made. a young boy joins the resistance to fight the nazis and finds himself in a horrific nightmare. stunning images, soundtrack from hell; a brilliant piece of work, i think, but very tough… More
the trouble begins with the children...this has to be one of the most brutal war films ever made. a young boy joins the resistance to fight the nazis and finds himself in a horrific nightmare. stunning images, soundtrack from hell; a brilliant piece of work, i think, but very tough to watch. in russian
Daniel P

Horrific.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=red]"Come and See" takes place in Byelorussia, 1943. Young Flor is ready and eager to join up with the partisans to fight the invading Nazis. But at the partisan camp, he is left behnd to mind the store. And that is where the danger begins for… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=red]"Come and See" takes place in Byelorussia, 1943. Young Flor is ready and eager to join up with the partisans to fight the invading Nazis. But at the partisan camp, he is left behnd to mind the store. And that is where the danger begins for him.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff0000][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff0000]"Come and See" is a worthy movie because it honestly depicts the horrors of war, specifically those committed by the Nazis. But it could have been better if the movie had been more consistent and if it had been subtle at all. The film's style consists of flowing tracking shots and close-ups, mostly those of Flor who is our witness to what is going on. And occasionally the film seems to be borrowing its style from Tarkovsky and Fellini.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#ff0000][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=black][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Cranes are Flying" starts out in the Soviet Union on the eve of World War II. Boris and Veronica are a young couple, madly in love. War is declared and Boris enlists.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Cranes are Flying" is a simple, well-made story of young love interrupted by larger events, beyond the control of the people involved. It also contrasts life on the front lines as compared to what is going on in the home front. The movie seems to have been made with limited resources but it is clear that the director tried to be innovative whenever possible which leads to quite a few memorable scenes. [/font]
Alec B

One of the most truly unsettling films ever made, Director Elm Kilmov mixes the real with the surreal in the most horrifying way. Its probably the best anti-war film out there because it shows what is truly lost in combat; our humanity.
Lesley N

War is bad.
Brian R

Watched this again and found it unappealing. It's too long and boring, now say what you will about this movie "Come And See" imo made me want to sleep and go.
Christopher B

One of the most disturbing, savage and realistic war films I've ever seen. Everything about this movie is truly unbelievable, as we follow the camera and main character looking at some of the most horrific acts man has committed. The direction in this is fantastic; long,… More
One of the most disturbing, savage and realistic war films I've ever seen. Everything about this movie is truly unbelievable, as we follow the camera and main character looking at some of the most horrific acts man has committed. The direction in this is fantastic; long, hand-held takes that put you right there with the characters. I highly recommend this one, and I hate most war films on average.

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

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