Come and See is a 1985 Russian war film by Elem Klimov. I am a pretty big fan of the Russian cinema I’ve seen over the years, but I’ll admit the gaps in my knowledge of Russian cinema are quite large, and this is definitely one of those gaps. It seems most times when one watches a war film, it is anti-war (unless it’s a Chuck Norris joint or something). Come and See is quite possibly, one of the most brutal and effective anti-war films ever made.

The film basically follows Flyora, a 12 year old boy (played by 14 year old Alexei Kravchenko) who finds himself wanting to join the Russian military during World War II in Belarus to fight the Nazis. Early on Flyora lives with the military in some odd ideal together with a young girl, Glasha, who is being sexually used by a commander in this faction. And then the Nazis strike and the darkness and violence of war begins to settle in culminating in a moment when Flyora must come to terms with the death of his whole family after ending up back in his village.

Come and See is a war film like no other I’ve seen. The only possible comparable one is Tarkovsky’s Ivan’s Childhood, and even that though brutal and sad does not even began to cover the start reality war that one sees while watching the watching war through Flyora’s eyes.

The visuals that Klimov creates here, a true Hellish fog of war, need to be experience to truly understand how powerful the film can be. The soundscapes truly couple with the stark harsh visual to create a true horror show masterpiece of cinema.

Criterion presents Come and See in a new 2K restoration that simply look glorious. The overall look of the film from colors to details comes out quite well. The audio presented HD mono in Belarusian, Russian, and German comes through nicely without issues. Extras include an interview with Roger Deakins, plus archival interviews with the cast and crew. There are documentaries on the Nazi atrocities presented in the film, and more on the making of. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.