GRADE: 10
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.
Original Title: Idi i smotri
Director: Elem Klimov
Country of Origin: Soviet Union
Thoughts:
As grim and horrific as Come and See is—and it may well take the cake in the department—it’s also deeply poetic and searingly hypnotic. The terrified boy on the poster with the burnt out eyes is all of us as we watch this profoundly disturbing and uncompromising film. With its inspired, surrealist visions of war as a literal hell on earth, it shares a kinship with Apocalypse Now; but Klimov’s film, devoid of even the slightest sense of ironic humor, is a much tougher watch. It’s beautifully painted as a fever dream, but it’s a dream you’re stuck in and there’s no getting out. It builds to a soul-ravaging climax before leaving us with just a faint hint of the protagonist’s remaining humanity. Easily in the top ten most unforgettable war movies ever made.