Come and See (Idi i smotri) poster & wallpaper
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Alexei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Vladas Bagdonas, Victor Lorents ... see more see more... , Yurs Lumiste , Kazimir Rabetsky , Yevgeny Tilicheev

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 systematica... read more read more...lly 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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95% liked it

7,274 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

21 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Elem Klimov

Release Date: October 17, 1985

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DVD Release Date: October 23, 2001

Stats: 849 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (849)

  • SirPant
    February 26, 2013
    SirPant
    Come and see is a nightmarish odyssey through the horrors of War seen through the eyes of a young naive boy from a small village. It is horrific, it is beautiful and it is one of the greatest (anti) War films ever made. The terror and then the anger displayed in young Aleksey Kr... read moreavchenko's face haunts long after the film is over. I think people may have the wrong idea of this film, I know I did. It is not an exploitation film made to get a reaction, it is an honest and powerful film about the atrocities of war that everyone should see, hence the name maybe, come and see!
  • fb100002359227440
    April 21, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    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.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    December 8, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    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 ... read morecrude and direct portrayal of the atrocities of war, but it leaves not much room for anything else, including it's characters.
  • flixsterman
    November 17, 2011
    flixsterman
    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.
  • DrBenway
    April 11, 2008
    DrBenway
    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 receiv... read moreing 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.
    Come And See
  • pier007
    March 30, 2008
    pier007
    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.
  • rubystevens
    February 28, 2008
    rubystevens
    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 ... read moretough to watch. in russian
  • danperry17
    April 15, 2007
    danperry17
    Horrific.
  • gator681
    June 18, 2005
    gator681
    [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.[... read more/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]
  • fb20312798
    August 21, 2010
    fb20312798
    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.

View All Come and See (Idi i smotri) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Pat Graham
October 15, 2007
Pat Graham, Chicago Reader

I suppose that never forgetting has its place, but not when it insists on such narrowly righteous fantasies of revenge. Full Review

J. Hoberman
October 15, 2007
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. Full Review

Wally Hammond
February 9, 2006
Wally Hammond, Time Out

A disorienting and undifferentiated amalgam of almost lyrical poeticism and expressionist nightmare. Full Review

Walter Goodman
August 30, 2004
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. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Come and See sounds like an invitation to a child's game. Nothing could be further from the truth. Full Review

Ken Hanke
August 17, 2011
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Perhaps the most terrifying, nightmarish film anyone has ever made about war. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 15, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An unforgettable nightmarish vision of excessive violence and cruelty. Full Review

Kelly Vance
May 5, 2010
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express

Every scene drives home its point, plainly, that man's inhumanity to man is incurable. Full Review

Dan Jardine
January 20, 2010
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide

a helluva journey, told with with brutal bluntness and numbing, unflinching realism. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
November 17, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Or: Ivan Got His Gun Full Review

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