Come and See

Come and See is a 1985 Soviet anti-war film directed by Elem Klimov and written by Klimov and novelist Ales Adamovich, based on the latter's 1978 novel I am From the Fiery Village.

Plot
In 1943, Soviet patriot Flyora retrieves a discarded rifle from a battlefield and enlists in the Soviet Resistance Movement against the ruthless Nazis, only to firsthand witness the horrors of war and find himself going deeper into physical and mental hell.

Why You Must See It

 * 1) With plenty of movies and other media, especially in today's time, shamelessly glorifying war, it's nice to see a film that does the exact opposite and shows what war is really like and how horrifying it really is.
 * 2) An impressively realistic depiction of the Soviet Union and the hardships they faced especially during World War 2, under oppression from the Nazis, with realistically detailed clothing, vehicles, weapons, and so on, even if that's not the point.
 * 3) Great acting, especially from Aleksey Kravchenko as Flyora (who was only 14 at the time), who gives a powerful and disturbing performance and really sells his character's deteriorating mental state as time goes on.
 * 4) This movie does not pull punches and does not sugarcoat facts, there's almost never any comic relief and the tone is extremely disturbing, which is highly appropriate for the subject matter of the film and tasteful to those who actually suffered in war.
 * 5) Excellent production value, which goes for a less is more approach and taking a look at the countryside instead. The sets are also very realistic, convincing, and interesting, really looking like the 1940s Soviet countryside.
 * 6) An interesting style where it's more realistic in tone and production, but isn't afraid to add some flare, especially towards the end where it shows real footage of the nazi regime in reverse.
 * 7) It's extremely effective with it's anti-war message, showing the absolute depths of the human mind and what really happens in war, showing that while many look forward to it or are excited by it, it's terrible once it actually happens, and people you love or care about will get hurt and likely killed. However, it does show that the Soviet Union was literally forced to fight for their lives, giving a much more realistic view on being anti-war as a whole. The entire film starts out somewhat amusing, but is utterly heartbreaking once the actual war starts and only gets more so as it goes on.
 * 8) Shockingly, the movie isn't super violent. It still more than surpasses a PG-13 rating, but the violence is less focused upon in favor of the atmosphere, which makes it and it's message even more effective.
 * 9) Great cinematography with shots showing plenty of disturbing but relevant imagery and leaving nothing to the imagination despite not being overly explicit with the violence.
 * 10) Even the sound design is very well done with gunshots sounding like real ones and explosions being stunning as well. One point in the movie where Flyora is temporarily deafened by explosions is very well done and gives the viewer an eerie sense of being there with him.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While the movie delivers a profound anti-war message, it can prove to be too disturbing even to those with a strong disposition. For example, there's a massacre at a village where people are burned alive, including children, and this scene goes on for 30 MINUTES. The ending doesn't provide any levity, which is more realistic, but still too much for some. Also, the fact that Kravchenko was legitimately emotionally overwhelmed despite the fact that he was only acting makes this movie extremely hard to watch.
 * 2) Live ammunition was used for authenticity, and many actors, including Kravchenko, were nearly shot. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it's still a disturbing behind-the-scenes fact.

Trivia

 * 1) Director Elem Klimov had to fight the Soviet censorship boards for eight years in order to film the movie.
 * 2) Actor Alexey Kravchenko reportedly was so traumatized by the events in the film that his hair started to turn grey. They originally tried to use a hypnotist to lessen the impact of these scenes, but he wasn't able to be hypnotized.