Come and See | Creating The Most Disturbing Film

[@SpikimaMovies]

Hope you enjoyed this one. I sure did. What's YOUR favourite 'disturbing non-horror film'? Watch other great cinema for free for 30 days at mubi.com/spikimamovies

[@CooperRust]

My 2 favorite 'disturbing non-horror film' 1) Shock Corridor (1963) 2) Tesis (1996) by Alejandro Amenabar

[@sadponyguerrillagirl_-]

Come And See is really disturbing but the movie that really takes the cake for the most disturbing film is Salo or The 120 Days of Sodom, which is also really good and based on true events. If you have not heard of it, I would highly recommend researching it ASAP.

[@1r0zz]

Rise of skywalker is the most disturbing movie I ever seen. It’s disturbing people got paid to make it :/

[@gemonizam2469]

If I had to choose one, I guess it would be Edmond (2005), even its from Stuart Gordon it is not a horror movie but really taught me not to ponder over my fears too much... "Every fear hides a wish"

[@JohnathanEnder]

Threads We Need to Talk About Kevin The Vanishing Man Bites Dog

[@BuenButter6211]

this movie was so intense and so well made that the director just stopped making movies, he said all that he needed to said

[@AD-dg3zz]

The filmmaking equivalent of a mic drop

[@MonTube2006]

@@AD-dg3zz not quite. He sucks.

[@k.o.h3599]

@@MonTube2006 ok n*zi.

[@MonTube2006]

@@k.o.h3599 get lost idiot 😆 I'm as much a naz* as Anne Frank was

[@tallspartan117]

I heard that he stopped making movies because the Russian government was fuckinh with all his ideas. He was barely able to make this movie because they wanted so many things changed so he intentionally didn't finish it until much later when he was able to get his intended vision out.

[@sappy.7z]

I loved Come and See, it's absolutely dreadful and I never wanna watch it again. 10/10

[@vik.1903]

I can't think of any other film which I say (and it's true) that I watched it twice on a week and nobody would believe me. And no, I don't plan on rewatching it, even though it's on my favourite list.

[@WobblesandBean]

I don't know how I feel about it. The main character, Flyora, is difficult for me to follow. It's pretty much his fault his entire village was massacred because he blew off the village elder's warning, he tried to drown Glasha, and when the girl at the end walked up after surviving the horrors she was put through, he does nothing to comfort her. A film doesn't need a hero, but as someone who's been through similar traumas he inflicted on others in "Come and See", I just felt sick watching him, even more than seeing the nāzîs. I know that war and its many atrocities will destroy the souls of anyone caught up in its vicious claws and leave them irreparably shattered, but Flyora's actions still seem needlessly cruel, even barbaric, for no other reason than the plot demands it. Same goes for his inexplicable luck all throughout the film. The Ñāzîs kill everyone in a neighboring village, even put their gun to his head, only to take a photo and then leave him alone? It makes no sense. Multiple times he goes out in a group to find food, and is the sole survivor. It took me out of the film a bit because Flyora's plot armor was just so thick. It's a beautiful, poignant, devastating film with brilliant acting, and I respect it as one of the most important films of all time. But seeing it left me feeling disgusted with the characters, not sympathetic.

[@vik.1903]

@@WobblesandBean you must take into account that Flyora is a 12 year old boy. Not a grown man. With that said, I can't, by any means, see his journey as a LUCKY kid. If anything, it's quite the opposite

[@vik.1903]

@@WobblesandBean by no means I'm trying to deny you to feel the way you feel about the characters, just trying to give some perspective

[@PatrickStar-li9vu]

Same

[@SakuraAsranArt]

It's interesting that this film has been called an "unhinged depiction of war" because war itself is unhinged. It's collective insanity!

[@Bigjuicydumbdumb]

I think people who think this film isn't realistic are on some copium about the human condition.

[@thesequeltoobama7030]

@@Bigjuicydumbdumb I don’t think he was saying it’s unrealistic, I think he in a convoluted way was saying that it’s a uniquely raw, unsanitised and unhinged depiction of the depraved places anyone can and will go to in war that’s incomparably disturbing to any other depictions of war in popular cinema

[@ApeRiderr]

@@Bigjuicydumbdumb I feel like it’s not really a war movie. It just shows a kid going nuts after living through some weird dramatized scenes of war crimes.

[@sacredsam6046]

@@ApeRiderr these depictions are not dramatized you would be shocked with what people do to each other

[@ApeRiderr]

@@sacredsam6046 oh no, I am well aware especially since the setting the movie takes place in it was an SS unit made up of violent felons lol. I just didn’t really find the movie to be that realistic, I just found it strange.

[@CooperRust]

In my childhood I used to like war movies that had heroic deaths or hero does something unbelievable at the end of war. But now in my 20s I realize there's nothing heroic about war , its just brutality, death and those who survive. War is not cute , its devastating and only very few films portray it honestly - Apocalypse Now, Come and See, Ivan's Childhood etc.

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

🎯🎯🎯💯🙏🏼

[@serpentinefire921]

Threads?!

[@scratchynuts]

@Oye good ass film

[@thefirm4606]

All quiet on the western front

[@definitivedatpoodlenoodle5366]

@Oye As well as The Pianist, Johnny Got His Gun, 1917, Empire of The Sun, and Saving Private Ryan, ect.

[@ImYourOnlyItGirl]

I watched this with my father. Usually during movies neither of us can shut the heck up. We were silent the entire time. And even after the end we both just sat there, in shock. Such an important film everyone should see. As westerners, we mourn the tragedy of Pearl Harbour. But many of us are oblivious to the horrors the East suffered through at the hands of the Axis powers. Insane.

[@TheBobafett13]

Well said.

[@who1285]

Oh wow see, we never really talked about Pearl Harbour in school so I never thought of it as a big tradegy. Silly I know, but growing up close to so where many WW2 events tok place (in EU) we were mostly just talking about events close by. Crazy, just thinking how much history we might still not know or understand! Good thing we have movies that educate :)

[@moonshelter3448]

Beautiful comment. Love it. Thank you.❤

[@T1tusCr0w]

There things out there in the worlds history that would make you feel differently about everything. Sometimes I think we don’t need them in our head. Others I think we need them most of all to see they stay only there.

[@dirkz.duggitz1567]

Great comment. Schools dont have the time to teach you all the history you should really know. Thats one reason so many are ignorant the history of slavery. You ask half the ppl in America and they think the civil war ended slavery for the most ppl or that black ppl were enslaved more than anyone else. Both are simply not true. Romans enslaved everybody, even other romans. Pearl Harbor was like the twin towers tragedy just 50 yrs earlier. It rocked our country to the core. Enough that Truman believed 2 atomic bombs sufficient retaliation. Also, alot of japanese americans were taken from their homes during ww2 and put in camps jic they may be spies. So much history alot of ppl will never know because schools either arent keeping kids attention, or just arent teaching it. What is life but time to learn and love? Sry for the book. But the og comment was on point tho.

[@AirForceFalcons_9922]

The young actor actually physically aged during the making of the movie. His classmates were shocked to see his physical transformation. He went on to become a great actor as an adult.

[@alexandermunguia5873]

He did not age they put makeup on him to make him look older

[@steveyuhas9278]

​@@alexandermunguia5873Not to be pedantic, but TECHNICALLY he did age 😉. Sorry, I'll see myself out.

[@ulyanak.1596]

defintely not agreat actor as an adult, just a regular russian propaganda lover

[@helloworld-ti5zs]

Find a movie "Star" . He is there. A Soviet soldier. A good war movie.

[@JoshuaAndres]

What’s his name?

[@limedevil2518]

'Come and see' made me realise how we often fantasize war in modern movies. 10/10, wouldn't recommend.

[@spazemfathemcazemmeleggymi272]

War can be awful, that is why people make movies about those who choose to fight for what they love instead of what they hate. War is going to happen, and you had better make up your mind sooner rather than later how you are going to fight. You can either be one who is molded by hatred or driven by love.

[@aleahcim24]

your '10/10, wouldn't recommend' is so real lmao, i even told my friends that it was a great movie but i don't recommend it for them to watch it because even I myself would like to unsee the things I've seen

[@1D991]

​@@aleahcim24Definitely one of those, "Glad I saw it and think everyone should see it once, but I'd never recommend it" type films

[@thestraydog]

I feel the same way about this film as well as The Men Behind the Sun. Amongst others. I once screened Schindlers List to my now ex-wife at her request. She never forgave me for it. She said she was much happier without seeing brutality like that in front of her. ​@1D991

[@PopTartNeko]

The scene when Glasha glances back to the pile of bodies rotting behind the house just haunts my mind. Just because of how quick and casual (almost accidental) the shot is. Just the most horrifying thing you will ever see in 2 passing seconds. Brilliant movie. I've seen many war movies, many ww2 movies too. None of them depict the horror and trauma as closely and personal as this one does.

[@hilarioferreira4805]

I came here looking for a comment about this scene. Never in my life I felt anything remotely close while watching a movie. That sent real shivers down my spine.

[@noaheke2666]

That shot still haunts me, the casual nature of it, like you said almost accidental. She glances back at a genocide flyora missed

[@Arinisonfire]

That scene is almost like a jump scare. The suspense Klimov builds in the prior scene is so overwhelming - the fact that the entire village seemingly disappeared suddenly, the food still being warm hinting that whatever happened was very recent, the constant buzzing of flies heard throughout the whole scene, Glasha vomiting after trying to eat, and that haunting shot of the two dolls Florya's sisters left broken on the floor. You know something is seriously wrong, the film practically makes it obvious, but Florya is in denial, he thinks his family just escaped to somewhere safer and we the viewers want to believe that as well, but then you get *that* shot once he and Glasha leave the house. It's so sudden and nonchalant its like Klimov is slapping you in the face and saying "you knew they were all dead, stop kidding yourself." And you know the *REALLY* horrifying part? The part that makes me shudder every time I think about it? The slaughter of his family and village was almost certainly retaliation for him joining the partisans. It was called "Bandenbekampfung," or "bandit fighting and it was really what the Nazis did - if one person were even suspected of assisting in partisan activity theyd be murdered along with their family and the rest of their village. The village elder who tells him not to dig at the beginning of the movie was warning him and when Florya meets him again after he's been burnt alive, he essentially confirms it, "didnt I tell you not to dig?" Imagine feeling that, imagine being 14 years old and learning that not only has your family been murdered, but you're the reason they did. It's incomprehensible

[@alpha-tomahawk532]

The scene with her at the end coming back after being raped got me more... i wouldn't expect from a film to just show someone so brutally wounded after rape that they didn't show, that even thinking about what they might have done to her is unbearable...

[@seileen1234]

It's brutal because it feels like real WW2 footage of a mass grave.

[@aleksandr2245]

greetings from Belarus My great-grandmother is buried in one of the cemeteries near Minsk, and there are graves with a single monument. I will never forget when I saw a monument with 5 names on it: a woman and four children aged 2, 3, 4, and 5, all with the same date of death in 1941 or 1942, I don't remember exactly. There are many graves like this

[@TrueBlueCat]

Peace be with her.

[@spiderdijo7]

😢

[@НадеждаК-ц1ь]

А у многих и могил нет.

[@gpl992]

There was also a mass grave of Jews there that a guy actually discovered 15 years ago but didn't bother to say anything until now 🫣🫠🙃😌

[@sample.text.]

Some movies are so good you can only watch them once.

[@sixteenstringjack]

Yes, I can't watch this again, but I'll never forget it

[@sixteenstringjack]

@@aligmal5031 Yes, I know Threads. Saw it when I was definitely too young! So realisitic, it all looked like people and places I knew then. It's weird, after Come and See I felt crushed but also full of love towards humanity. After Threads I just felt depressed! Haha. 2 STRONG films

[@monicarenee7949]

That’s how I feel about “Saving Private Ryan”. I can’t watch this one once though, so learning about it through KZbin

[@sandym2502]

@@sixteenstringjackhumanity is sick. Hate them. All.

[@StrongandConditioned]

Such a profound comment. Totally agree

[@justinholtman]

One of the best movie commentary critic channels on KZbin. Criminally underrated.

[@shinjukucalling763]

the best and it's not close

[@rageagainstmyhairline5574]

@@shinjukucalling763 Thomas Flight and Spikima are on the same level for me. Watching one of either of their videos is like watching a short from an auteur filmmaker. They have their own vibe going on and are just completely different from other channels. The ONLY other channel that comes close is In Praise Of Shadows, but they do other subjects like art and comics etc.

[@justinholtman]

@@rageagainstmyhairline5574 yeah I actually just found Thomas not too long ago he’s really good too

[@0wlet290]

It was planned to call the movie "Kill Hitler" as in “Kill the Hitler that lurks potentially in all of us!” (explained in one interview) . With that in mind the Hitler-scene has a very different tone and meaning. Also, the last shots them running into the forest with snow makes me wonder if it's a hint towards the "Operation Waldwinter" (eng.: Operation Forest winter). That would basically mean that they are running into their deaths - making it even more sad with "Lacrimosa" playing in the background.

[@viktoriaf.1191]

Holy shit I didn’t even realize that.

[@victoriashelly5115]

what is operation waldwinter? I’ve been trying to find sources about it but none of them seem reliable and I feel like I’m searching for it incorrectly

[@Godsfavyoyo]

@@victoriashelly5115 it was a code name for a anti partisan operation by the nazis in around 1943 in the Belorussian region of the western Ussr. Basically a ethnic cleansing to get rid of guerrilla forces or revolutionaries forming in nazi territory by its citizens

[@kevinahlblad]

@@victoriashelly5115 Waldwinter was an anti-partisan operations that started 2 years before the movie takes place and at the start was mostly repression tactics and propaganda. When the movie takes place (1943) the risk posed by the partisans to an already struggling German supply line led to regular German army troops, instead of special security divisions to be used for looting and destroying villages and encircling partisans.

[@annavg7294]

I didn't even notice Lacrimosa was used. Damn, they thought of everything.

[@boRalto]

The most impactful scene to me, was not the atrocities shown and not shown on screen, but rather the scene where he and the girl are basking in the sunlight, running through that vibrantly green forest, showering in the rain. It's such a tremendous left turn in tone and yet slides into place so naturally, that it made me cry. I cried for all their innocence lost and all of their hope shattered throughout the rest of the movie. It is the ONLY breath of fresh air, the only let-up, the only gaze and I underline the word "gaze" on what these two children should've been allowed to have, and how it was robbed from them by that most undescribable act of humanity known as war.

[@sixteenstringjack]

So true

[@UnkleKnuck]

Same here, many impactful scenes in this masterpiece but one image that always sticks with me is Glasha dancing in the rain in that lush green forest, with the ghostly 1920's jingle playing faintly

[@adrianalobo2513]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👍

[@wachimol]

to me one of the most impactful shots was during the barn burning, a female nazi officer(?) is savoring some lobster inside a jeep. the juxtaposition of such indulgence happening in the face of terror and genocide speaks volumes

[@ajasilikonreffkmimmon]

A coping mechanism. Many Vietnam vets are reported during and after the war to mask their emotion with hopelessly funny jokes.

[@dayofthelords8371]

I dont think ill rewatch this film. So im very grateful that you put together the beautiful images that i didnt appreciate in the horror of watching.

[@ashleyschaefferkia2734]

This movie is absolutely relentless. No comic relief, no real cheers, no happy ending, just the reality of the true hell of war.

[@typhoonthunder]

Come And See is quite possibly the rawest movie ever made. A tapestry of horrific violence, conceited ideologies and human suffering at the hands of the Nazi hoodlums. I’ll never forget the first time I watched it all the way through. I can see why Klimov wanted to name this “Kill Hitler”

[@bobdollaz3391]

They were used to worse depravities under the Bolsheviks

[@what-uy7go]

@@bobdollaz3391 Many starved and were forcibly relocated under the CPSU during industrialization and collectivization. The Nazis committed mass murder, burned down villages at random, and used natives for slave labour if they weren't outright killing them. It's kind of hard to argue that the USSR was somehow worse than the Nazis, because for all their wrongdoings prewar and postwar, it's a lot better than whatever shithole Europe would've become had the Nazis somehow survived or won

[@thefirm4606]

@@bobdollaz3391 it’s not a competition!

[@chilichinashop]

@@bobdollaz3391 hush nazi sympathizer 🤫🤐

[@thedreamscripter4002]

@@bobdollaz3391 Another stupid lie from "Black book of communism"

[@blacknapalm2131]

One thing that always haunted me was the adorable little loris that the officer kept as his pet. He obviously loved and cherished the little thing. Meaning he was not heartless or without feeling or emotion or sentiment. Which made his actions against other human beings even more shocking.

[@ivan00001983]

That guy was modelled upon Oscar Dirlewanger, real life human monster, who also allegedly had a similar pet and did all the things shown in movie - and way worse, he also did them personally

[@dykesmcgee3136]

i don’t see it that way. the loris “arms up” position is a response to stress. and the way he was poking at its groin…

[@wallyjames7825]

@@dykesmcgee3136that was the partisan soldier holding the loris like that, as opposed to prior when it was sitting on the German officer’s shoulder.

[@sharpcheddar7305]

He even puts a helmet over the lloris when they are burning the barn with the villagers in it so it doesn't witness the atrocity.

[@georginacat7667]

It was meant to illustrate that he considered the life of an animal more valuable than that of one if " these " humans.

[@HectorVII]

that scene with fyora and the girl in the forest and she starts laughing.... i literally felt like her face was morphing in front of my eyes. truly the most terrifying movie ever made

[@BrownSugar98]

My ex gfs dad was like, "You like war movies?" And downloaded a couple of war films on his roku, and this was one of them. I've only seen it once and I'll never forget it.

[@paulagarcia3564]

I was uncomfortable the whole time and my bf told me he didnt see it as a horizontal line of events but rather fiora’s memories of the events and sometimes it seems kind of surrealist because that’s how we see memories especially ones that are haunting and traumatizing.

[@gunfun7772]

Kinda makes sense with the emphasis on the faces in the movie. Like the faces are what he remembers most vividly.

[@adeimousragnarok8150]

Let me just say...I have been a Marine for 23 years...been to War twice...and this, this movie...nothing else that Ive seen encapsulates the sheer horrors of War so effectively...I can only imagine the nightmares the cast and crew have endured after making this

[@Ailasher]

Well, as here sing in one song "there is no family in Russia where its hero was not remembered". 34 million were coscripted and enlisted during the war out of about 200. Not all of them have been to the front lines. About a million of them, for idiological reasons or fear of a terrible death, decided to change sides. Both my grandfathers and my great-uncle were there. One came back from captivity (a sailor), the second was lucky to survive all four years of the war (I don't know what you call it: we have it close to "combat engineers": specifically building water crossings), and the third was missing (infantryman, militia). They all went through hell. And the Soviet authorities let us know at all costs: that this was it and that they are the real heroes who saved us from extermination, and it can't be otherwise. Including films like these. From this, a real cult of victory over the Nazis arose in the country. In part, it is that (the cult, not the victory) bites us in the ass for now, in Ukraine and not only. So, all the survivors knew: they were needed. They had done the most important thing in their lives. They, collectively I mean, were not allowed to dissolve into loneliness and despair. In so many ways. But still drinking a lot. Not everyone, there were real iron men, "real communists" as they called them then, who didn't allow themselves such "weakness" -- I think they probably still fought, but differently, by building, creating rather than by destroying. I was lucky enough to catch them: they were the most hardcore, honest and deterministic people both at work and daily life that I have ever known. If the word "communist" means anything to me personally -- it's their example. One of my kin didn't talk at all about the horrors of captivity, and he got there in '41, fortunately: in the waters of the Baltic sea, otherwise he probably would not have lived one of the East Front "Stammlager" -- where people were literally starved to death if they did not express their willingness to change sides. By forced labor: Germany had a labor shortage. And a sailor then meant, by definition, a man with at least some mechanic skills. The second mentioned only that while they were setting up the crossing and holding the bridgehead, under constant artillery fire, on the other bank - from their company remained a few dozen people. And the first to die were usually the fresh, young recruits who lost their cool under artillery fire. More than once. I even found a description of one of his awards when they started digitizing the archives: "under heavy artillery fire didn't lose his heart and organized the men to continue build the crossing in spite of the heavy losses". Four years... Were they both lucky? More like survivors, like Fiona -- I think so.

[@OneLifeJunkJack]

How about this movie then? kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpC1hHend9NjmKM It's about the Russian civil war and it's based on a short novel written in 1923 by a Bolshevik supporter who eventually got shot in the year of The Great Purge. That novel was never accepted by the censors and only got published in 1989. Unfortunately, "Come and See" still feels a little bit like propaganda because the author tries really really hard to show how evil the Nazis were, especially in that scene with the flame thrower. Something written by a Nazi, say, in 1946 would have been more genuine and depressing, with a feeling that all this cruelty was for nothing, with the added sensation that something is not quite right with the narrator. And that's exactly the feeling we get from The Chekist, especially at the very end when the credits roll (it's a difficult movie), so I strongly recommend it.

[@laurengin4581]

@@OneLifeJunkJackfound the Nazi apologist ⬆️

[@OneLifeJunkJack]

@@laurengin4581 Dear God, I'm not a Nazi apologist. Perhaps the fact that I'm not a native speaker made my message unclear. If you want to witness evil, just listen to the things that Pol Pot said during his last interview. Then imagine that it is because of guys like him that people are being killed in wars and that there are a lot of smaller Pol Pots, like Matryoshka dolls. That's what is really terrifying. The majority of Nazis are not going apeshit with a flamethrower and that's not really what I want to see.

[@AnIdiotsLantern]

@@OneLifeJunkJack “I’m not a Nazi apologist, I just think other people were worse then Nazis” - you, apparently

[@neilpemberton5523]

An interviewer who described Apocalypse Now as an anti-war film was corrected by its director Francis Ford Coppela, who said the entertainment value of the Ride of the Valkyries sequence meant it was not anti-war. Come And See is 100% anti-war. I was so appalled by the burning barn scene I never want to see it again.

[@Pantsinabucket]

That’s not a barn, it’s a church.

[@12sleep34]

well said Kierkegaard

[@VoidVintage]

Nothing like a BBQ 🔥

[@proteous8100]

@@VoidVintagenazi

[@VoidVintage]

@@proteous8100 I don't think I've had Nazi yet.. 🤔

[@hekates-ladder]

This video essay was what led me to watch Come and See. All of it was harrowing, but seeing the girl with the whistle in the full context - it was like a full body, deep ache. She and Florya have both been violated by this war and they’re still alive, to live with it. I’ll never forget the feelings this film created in me.

[@89Awww]

Come & See should've won best picture for 1985 and Aleksey Kravchenko should've won best actor for his harrowing performance. It's simply the most immersive film I've ever seen.

[@benmcfee]

And when you consider that Aleksei Kravchenko was not a professional when he made this (though he certainly is today) AND that this was his first movie, the performance is all the more impressive. Also shout out to Olga Mironova, who played his (brief) companion. Both of their performances are utterly haunting.

[@gracepicklebottom]

ofc he wasnt a professional he made orders to murder a cow and mishandle animals

[@veggiedisease123]

@@benmcfee What ever happened to Olga? Do we know? There is very little English information about her after this movie. I take it this was her and only movie. Her performance is amazing.

[@benmcfee]

@@veggiedisease123 I agree. And no, I haven't a clue what became of her, but she gave a shattering performance

[@НадеждаК-ц1ь]

​@@veggiedisease123она стала учителем. Живет в Санкт Петербурге.

[@zmaleki2906]

I live in a country in the middle east, and I sometimes hear people say "we need another Hitler to just erase this cursed region out of earth" It's horrific I know, and you won't believe how many times I've heard that sentence. I recommend this movie to anyone who is stupid enough to say such things.

[@maratnedoma6668]

what region they meant?

[@serpentinefire921]

I mean to be fair Islam is fuckin evil

[@bobdollaz3391]

A.H. did nothing wrong

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

wow. just….sick.

[@neilpemberton5523]

Some Russians who support Putin actually want him to be a modern Stalin.

[@belkaletto]

I’m from Belarus. The country were this movie actually was filmed. Watched it more than 5 times. So beautiful. So true. A real masterpiece. This is the history of every Belarusian family.

[@Akella1986]

It was USSR actually

[@proteous8100]

@@Akella1986Belarusian SSR*

[@gpl992]

Its also the History of every Ashkenazi and Romani Family 😢

[@OhYahDude]

"They are looking directly at the audience, and by the end it becomes the audience looking at them" that is one of the best takes I've heard. Brilliant

[@UltimateFalk]

The perfection of every facial expression portrait in this film had me absolutely floored

[@Ilovechickpeas24]

The build up to the village scene, with the German soldiers slowly entering the town and rounding everyone up so nonchalantly, made my blood run cold.

[@justanothermortal1373]

I watched this when I was 14. There are so many scenes engraved in my head as fresh as I first saw it. I loved this movie because it was for the first time I've seen war being portrayed for the raw trauma that it is. I probably won't watch it again.

[@CaseyReviews]

There's one more thing I want to add on to this. I noticed that some of the most disturbing scenes in the film is where Flora blends into the background. Like when all the villagers were in the church. I think (I might be wrong) that this represents how war takes away people's individuality, and makes life miniscule, and something that can just be thrown away for war.

[@klaatubaradanikto1490]

really sad but really on point observation. so many bodies, so many souls lost. literally just scene after scene of crowds in some sort of torment and/or hysteria, its all so disorienting

[@weeeeeeraaaaaa]

Hey, when you mention in the beginning that Flyora murmurs "a cryptic phrase" - not sure if you're aware it's not that cryptic. It's exactly what Glasha told him she wants from life when they first talked - любить, рожать. Great video, inspired me to rewatch!

[@cynthiaz2412]

This video essay is so brilliantly written and directed. I've followed this channel for some time and watched many of the videos - finding almost all of them interesting and educational - but I think this is the most powerful one yet. (The part on the Portrait Shot was so incredibly moving, which worked very interestingly with your voice over and explanation of the usage of them.) Indeed a testiment to the film and its subject matter, but also a great demonstration of skill on Spikima's side! Thank you for manking such good video essays and introducing me to great films and the fascinating crafts/techniques behind them!

[@SpikimaMovies]

Thank you for such a thorough and meaningful review of my review!

[@реональдсамойлов]

Я бы обратил ещё внимание, что очень часто камера двигалась по кругу большого радиуса. Заключая в этот круг главного героя. Возможно это отсылка к кругам ада. И ещё один интересный визуальный эффект. После того как группа нацистов фотографируется с Флëрой, налетает клубок чёрного дыма, и он "уносит" с собой нацистов, оставляя Флëру одного. Такой намёк, на инфернальную сущность фашистов.

[@Gleamorous]

that devoid look in the young boys eyes is absolutely haunting in every single scene.

[@g.rathbone764]

There’s a scene in this where Flora is dancing with the girl in the forest, and there’s just an ominous distorted radio in the background. It felt so haunting, like even in this moment of joy the horrors of the conflict are looming overhead like an ever present dread.

[@pepperpattynaise]

Ive been thinking about this movie so much lately, and then here it is, this amazing video essay. Thank you for sharing it with us!

[@rageagainstmyhairline5574]

There are exactly two channels I genuinely get excited to see an upload from, and you are one of those two. Outstanding work as always :)

[@WobblesandBean]

Who's the other one?

[@rageagainstmyhairline5574]

@@WobblesandBean Thomas Flight.

[@Squidward558]

This is my all time favorite movie. This analysis is fantastic as well and I love how you can take the use of camera angles to analyze, its something us non-technical people can really appreciate. The reason this movie is my favorite is because its the only movie I've ever seen that left a mark on me. It is traumatizing, sad, beautiful, and most of all, deeply disturbing. I think it should be a must-watch in schools and for everyone, whether you want to or not. Its a horror movie where the monster is us, and the scariest part is that its real.

[@HigrationsMintergrund420]

I remember being sick at home and going through "movie classics that nobody knows". I chose and watched this film. I was completely disturbed for DAYS 😅😌

[@phaedrus4931]

You did this work of art justice. Cannot believe a video review helped bring me back to the revelations of this film, without the hardships of once again going and seeing. Thank you, for the stark reminders of this tragically illuminating classic.

[@Flavio_Mark]

This is a great review! One thing that really stood out to me was the German airplane that appears several times throughout the movie, along with the buzzing becoming more and more intense, as if it was a mythological creature, an omnipresent beast that is always there, lurking, ready to attack, watching your every step, wherever you go, and which has the power to tear you to pieces in a split second. All it takes is one bomb at the right time, landing in the right place, and everything you've done, everything you've gone through to survive, all the brutality you've endured, all the right decisions and excruciating efforts brought about by war simply… disappear. It puts into perspective how small and expendable people are during a war. You only have the ~illusion~ that you control your fate, when in reality you are as tiny as an ant and can be crushed at any moment - as is shown at the beginning of the film, when Floria and his brother are seen from the perspective of the plane. The terrible reality of always being watched by a giant, flying monster that wants to end you. An incredible, unforgettable and horrible film. A must-watch, so that no one dares to repeat the horrors of war.

[@dylancarr8415]

What always struck me about the movie was the visable toll the war had on Fylora's face. Especially the space around his eyes emphasising the lack of rest one must have in such a situation, constantly running from death.

[@jaewon4316]

absolutely amazing video essay. i watched this recently and this was just what i wanted! gosh i’m scarred.

[@arseniilistopad2895]

If you are interested about other movies like "Come and See" or "Ivan's Childhood" of the same period, you might also check out "The Dawns are Quiet Here" (1972), "The Cranes are Flying" (1957), "Trial on the Road" (1971), "Twenty Days Without War" (1976), "The Fate of A Man" (1959) or more modern "Fortress of War" (2011). They aren't as surrealistic as the former two (those two are quite unique among other films of the same origin regarding WWII), but are still great war (anti-war) dramas.

[@kparker2430]

English Film "Threads" - only once

[@adamgardiner5869]

If ever I wanted to convince someone of the value of film critics I'd simply show them this channel. Simply brilliant analysis.

[@amirsinak]

When I watched this movie for first time I was holding a slice of pizza in my hand for 45 min

[@nicolelawless9942]

I was holding my Come and See movie for a very long time before finally hugging it. The movie has been protecting my emotions ever since but the war has been protecting me for more than 11 years and I don’t know what I’d do without it

[@ivan00001983]

An old German ww2 vet once saw this movie, and he came home and cried and said to his family he is crying because all shown was true, they did it all, and worse, multiple times in Eastern front. I guess he once again in his mind went there and relived the bestiality, the horror, the shame...

[@klaatubaradanikto1490]

wow, that's insane. but it goes w/o saying everyone should watch this movie. its curious to me how quite a few ppl are saying it's "propaganda," when while its about someone's subjective experience, all these things (and as you said, worse) really happened. i remember in middle school a holocaust survivor recounting a few events that had happened that they had seen and experienced that were just as bad in the film. i dont understand how people can still deny or minimize these atrocities, especially as someone with jewish relatives and ancestry. its just horrible.

[@EggwardEgghands]

@@klaatubaradanikto1490 Something can be true and propaganda at the same time. What we're not seeing here is that the Soviet Union did the same to its own people... and then subjected Europe to it when they invaded in 1939. For many countries, this terror was the reality until 1991. Leaving that bit out is the propaganda part.

[@obe_595]

@@EggwardEgghands I mean thats out of scope of what the movie is.. but you are not wrong.

[@EggwardEgghands]

@@obe_595 In a sense yes, but it could also quite easily have been given room in the movie. Scenario: Germans digging a mass grave when their shovels hit dead bodies... from Stalin's mass graves a decade earlier.

[@tsarXadam]

@@EggwardEgghands Straight up Nazi apologia coming from you.

[@the_bane_of_all_anti_furry]

one tragedy of war is how there are people to eager to bring much human suffering under the guise of "glory,honour,hatred"

[@Loosie_fur]

I felt like I myself got PTSD watching it. But seriously, I feel this would be the closest feeling to actually losing your mind. Truly terrifying movie.

[@nicolelawless9942]

I remember having PTSD from this movie, I once tried telling Mummy about it but every time I did; I would panic and rush upstairs to breakdown like hell. Woody has become terrified of me because I’m protecting the war greatly from Woodys awful words, if he says anything horrible, the war tells me to lose it for its protection

[@Loosie_fur]

@@nicolelawless9942 you ok?

[@nicolelawless9942]

@@Loosie_fur I was a bit hungover today but I’m definitely better than earlier

[@Loosie_fur]

@@nicolelawless9942 😂 fair enough.

[@nicolelawless9942]

@@Loosie_fur I totally regret watching this movie so drunk and I’m now forever traumatised by this movie even more. I think I need to slow down but there’s nothing a horrified Woody could do now and I only take the movies advice because Come and See understands my feelings no one else does. I think I’m going a bit nuts

[@LadyAstarionAncunin]

I have the Criterion Collection Blu-ray of this film even though it's not the kind of film you just pop in for a relaxing movie night. It is a powerful film, and one I think should be shown in every history class from high school and above.

[@cherylsmith4826]

That's a great idea but too intense for many people

[@itsmethedood]

Thank you for the thoughts and efforts Spikima

[@CaseyMeeko]

Thank you for spreading knowledge about most traumatic and most important anti-war movie of the XX century. Anyone who's seen it knows the price of any war and hates it with his whole soul / Your proud russian subscriber.

[@HavanaBobChannel]

@@violettray2679 '''''unprovoked'''''' stop watching CNN and BBC

[@bellaraizel8549]

@@violettray2679 *putin's war

[@ItsTristan1st]

@@violettray2679 this film should have explained to you exactly why the war is happening in Ukraine. Never again! It is also important to note that many of the actions in the film were actually carried out by Ukrainians, not Germans. The Soviet Union was unhappy about a member state being portrayed in that manner.

[@michaelistoma8356]

​​@@ItsTristan1stthere were lots of russians and belorussians. That's how collaborationism works. Not only ukrainians. So shut your mouth. And germans too.

[@michaelistoma8356]

​​@@ItsTristan1stthe war in Ukraine started because putin want to rebuild ussr and keep his power. That's all.

[@SixBeark]

Your videos are such a wonderful combination of complex film and camera techniques explained in a clear and concrete way that it's impossible not to enjoy. I tend to borrow a lot from your style & approach when attempting to explain psychoanalysis & other challenging forms of film critique. Keep up the great work!

[@ryanhodor1833]

This film is cinema at its most unforgiving, visceral, and brutal. It is an absolutely flawless descent into hell with one of the greatest performances in history.

[@SickTwistedQueen]

I had this film on my watch list, but seeing this upload in my notifications was what made me finally go watch it! The points you brought up made me absolutely love this film even more. Watching this film was also a very important therapeutic experience for me as a trauma survivor who is still trying to understand my trauma. The things you said about it in your video also help me with that a lot. The performances in this film, too -- wow! Aleksei Kravchenko (Flyora)'s eyes are such an important part of the emotional content. He knows how to use them for sure. Anytime I see a shot of him from this movie I'll be impressed yet again. There is great dramatic acting here, but I'm most impressed with the more subtle performances from the whole cast. Nina Evdokimova (who plays the young woman with the whistle), for example -- her face, her stare, her physicality. Such a horrific film, but it also demands so much important history to learn and to face onself's humanity. Definitely one of the rare films I would love to have a poster of.

[@codemanthe2nd343]

The portrait shots make me uncomfortable, the ways the actors look into the camera are haunting.

[@1D991]

It's as if the voices of the past that the characters represent are speaking directly ro the viewer, and rather than feeling like a conventional 4th wall break we see in most cinema it feels more like those ghosts have posessed the actors to literally invite us to "come and see" the horrors of war

[@pseudotsugame]

thank you for the detailed technical breakdown of how this movie portrays despair. The bit about the lenses that focus on two things at once was so interesting

[@Autistic_Cl0wn]

This is a quick take, I think the reason the girl wasn't speaking, nor doing much because she was sexually assaulted, and is in shock. It's definitely an implication. Amazing video as always!

[@klaatubaradanikto1490]

i had this impression as well, also as to how she would often react to the protagonist with both anger and fear, but also the need to have someone with her and not be alone. the scene when they're in the woods together is so heartbreaking and strangely twisted and hysterical.

[@dunngyllite7883]

agreed, it also seems to show in the way she walks in that scene...

[@Autistic_Cl0wn]

@@dunngyllite7883 Yes, absolutely.

[@Samsung-1.9Cu.Ft.Microwave]

@@dunngyllite7883 the blood is biggest give away

[@leehalloway8787]

​@@dunngyllite7883 Judging by where the blood was coming from, it definitely seems so.

[@Jimmy1982Playlists]

One of the greatest films of all time... as is The Ascent, by the director's wife. One married couple created probably the two greatest war films of all time.

[@SRR-5657]

Apparently she died 2 years after making The Ascent, while she was scouting locations for a Movie called Farewell. After her death, Klimov produced a 20 minute tribute film to her. After that he made 3 films, Agony, Farewell, then finally Come and See. Each released in 2 year intervals after her passing. Before her passing he seems to have made mostly documentary, comedy, and drama type films. He hadn't made a film in nearly a decade when his wife died and the released the next 3 films. Think about it, a man makes mostly normal films about drama or comedy or sports while he's married. His wife does, he creates a tribute film to her, then makes 3 films, Agony, Farewell, Come and See.

[@jonjahr3403]

I loved Come and See. The acting, camera, lighting and background were flawless or at least nearly flawless in my opinion. That all said it will also haunt me til the day i die. Especially the scene where it looks as if shes walking towards him with the whistle blowing. That whistle sound alone is for me one of the most haunting aspects of the movie.

[@zcorn1]

I took the final scene symbolically. As the men are trekking to another battle in the forest, us the audience, are stopped. The frame stops moving like a soldier left to come to grips with what just happened.. We’re allowed to leave the horror unlike the men, women and children marching. We’re given the opportunity to leave Hell.. knowing that they’re once again diving into the fire. A stark reminder that most of us are silent observers to atrocities.

[@rabbitss11]

I only became aware of this film about a year ago but was absolutely mesmerized by its brutality and sheer brilliance in capturing the chaos and insanity of war, it's like no other film I've ever seen, it stays with you for a long time after

[@slugcult1973]

This film makes Saving Private Ryan and Apocalypse Now seem like episodes of Sesame Street. It's been called a free fall into barbarism. Which is so accurate. Amazing movie.

[@raghav9000]

True, it is very very brutal

[@ElHombreGato]

Ugh.... beautifully said..... I've never been moved by a film review before in my life... until now. You're a true artist

[@olgaglera1097]

Я видела это кино еще в 80-х, когда мне было лет восемь. И оно до сих пор стоит у меня перед глазами. Особенно момент где мальчик выливает воду из сапог. Почему-то. Не знаю. В детстве ведь можешь понять только какие-то простые вещи. И вот это было мне понятно. Полные сапоги воды для меня означали, что мальчик в очень страшной ситуации. Я попыталась пересмотреть это кино несколько лет назад и не смогла. Моим пределом так и остались те сапоги. Этот фильм действительно может травмировать психику взрослого человека.

[@реональдсамойлов]

Я прекрасно вас понимаю. Нас тоже в школе водили на просмотр этого фильма всем классом. Я сейчас смутно помню свои тогдашние ощущения, но это был какой-то глубинный ужас. Девчонки выходили из кинозала в слезах, все молчали погружённые в себя. И насколько помню, мы, после никогда с одноклассниками не обсуждали этот фильм, переваривали его в себе. В середине 2000, когда фильмы стали более доступны, я скачал этот фильм в свою коллекцию и с тех пор, пересматриваю его раз в два-три года. Чаще не могу. Но и реже тоже. Этот фильм надо смотреть, чтобы понимать, до чего может довести человека вседозволенность и безнаказанность. Чтобы когда, кто-то будет пытаться запихать тебе в голову мысль, что х@хлы (м@скали, жыды, чурки и пр.) - нелюди и недостойны жить, воспоминания об этом фильме не давали дорогу этому дерьму. Этот фильм лучшая антипропаганда войны и человеконенавистничества.

[@nicolebogda1482]

Dear gawd, the WORK on this film! I have friends who had survived this war from both sides who were not participants but…survivors. I can only be grateful they never saw this or it perhaps would have triggered the trauma rather than what they recalled in their last days. Highly recommend no one who has survived this time see this film- however I feel anyone who has not survived such atrocities in war & life? Really should see this until they understand the reality of TRUE horror… ty for this video. ❤

[@croatoansounds]

Glad to see new videos still being made on this movie! I saw it for the first time five days ago, and I am still trying to fully understand what I watched haha. But it was amazing, just brain scrambling

[@MerBeard]

Never seen this movie but man those shots are gorgeous! Must watch it when I have the opportunity.

[@easy94883]

The whole movie is on KZbin in HD with Eng subtitles

[@ЕгогошкаКраснодарский]

This is the scariest movie I've watched in my entire life. When I have to give an example of the most emotional film, I will give it. 10/10. I cannot say the optimal age for a person to become familiar with it. I watched it as a teenager and the film made an impression on me that I have never experienced before or since. It's always tears, always horror, always numbness. I have never seen anything heavier.

[@nicolelawless9942]

I actually had nightmares just minutes after watching it and the last 35 minutes were something else. The last 35 minutes of me and Floyra separating was heart wrenching because Floyra wanted me and him to be together for slightly longer but him accepting my fate was the worst feeling he had experienced but I sacrificed my own life to make sure Floyra went back to the war. It was just too emotional watching Floyra accepting I was no longer here and I cried watching the movie a second time

[@chenking7446]

I always love your movie commentaries because the way you structure your videos, your speech and your commentary feel like an hommage, a poem to celebrate the craft of the piece, and it ties it all very well together and makes it even more impactful

[@joshuadelgado1286]

People need to know more about this movie. It’s absolutely incredible. You finish the movie knowing the evil truth of people.

[@KBGVideos1]

“The horror…the horror…” -Colonel Kurtz.

[@jostpolc3858]

I have seen a lot of war and anti-war films, dramas, horror films of all genres and from all over the world, but I have never seen such an ominous, shocking and terrifying film before and never since. It shows what war really is, something worse than hell itself.

[@RoshDroz]

You seriously make the most insightful film analysis vids on all KZbin. Love seeing a new upload every time

[@AKA-corne]

Just hearing about this movie again gave me anxiety and pure hate. The part where the girl is taken by troops and indicated that she got group raped haunts my mind 💀

[@kparker2430]

i get hate as well

[@neyadob]

That happened much more often in reality than it's been shown in the movie. That's the true, ugly face of war.

[@lottavuorinen]

@@neyadob Classic men moment

[@nimbus2490]

@@lottavuorinen Lol

[@aleahcim24]

YES THAT SCENE WAS HORRIFYING. When I saw that scene I needed to take a break because I was mortified at the thought that something like that HAPPENED in real life and could be happening anywhere in the world right now because there are real wars going on.

[@kayrakarabal8849]

this is no doubt the best video essay ive ever watched, impeccable work

[@andieallison6792]

I was GUTTED when I saw that KZbin removed the other video essay about Come and See ("The Scariest Film Ever Made ISN'T A Horror Film"). Thank you for this; more people need to know about this movie!

[@lisazkc256]

They removed that video? Wow, I have no words... Why would they even remove it, what is wrong with them?

[@dejeffmcbob]

@@lisazkc256 The creator removed the video and deleted their channel. There was an attempt to reupload it but the creator asked them to remove it and they respected the request. While I doubt he wants people to find the video, I was able to find it on the internet archives which if you want to, you can find it.

[@kaileylane]

I have never seen this film. I will now. This break down was absolutely wonderful. Well done. Subbed.

[@anthonymyers4516]

I've been trying to put people onto this movie and Stalingrad. Both some of my favorite war films. Amazing to see somewhat reboot-like films coming out nowadays. As always, stay up, stay positive.

[@bobdollaz3391]

Those and "Men behind the sun" , about unit 731

[@50Street21]

Your commentary was mesmerizingly captivating. Absolutely brilliant.

[@longiytsin1318]

Thank you for your review. It is great to learn about movies which aren’t in pop culture.

[@EthanWane]

They didn't split that shot with a lens trick, it's done by crudely comping and cutting out the film, akin to what was often done in starwars. The two ARE facing each other, the final shot is showing her perspective (his back) and her dead reaction to watching him walk away. She's given up looking for help, and he's given up trying to be the help

[@reorioOrion]

See also "Ascent" (1976) directed by Larisa Shepitko. This is the wife of Elem Klimov. "Ascent" is also a film about the war, about difficult choices, about the characters of people. It is considered as iconic as "Come and See" А very heavy film.

[@peace4myheart]

Always a joy to watch your videos. I feel like I'm watching a masterclass in cinema with each and every release.

[@TheCatThatNobodyKnow]

When I finished this film I didn't fully cry I just completely disassociated and felt nothing for 24 hours.

[@enduroian]

the information on that special camera lens at the beginning is so cool. Ill have to look out for that now! (i hate to be that guy who comments on the first two minutes of the video) i love technical-speak. well done video, can tell you really know your stuff

[@ДзмітрыйЯкаўлеў]

My great grandfather was a teen in Belarus when the war started, so he joined partisans too. He was the one to bury weapons in the field to hide it from germans. One day germans captured his friend, tortured him so the friend had to give them my grandpa's name. The found him and commanded to dig all the weapons he buried or he'll get shot. Unfortunately enough he forgot where he buried the last gun but found it after hours of digging around under germans' gun. Close to end of the war he helped to move stuff for partisans with his horse, but when they reached frontline they took away his horse so my grandpa was left alone with no means to return to his village. War ended and he was going around villages to offer his work and woul dcarve spoons and plates for people, but they weren't always nice to him because everybody had barely any food and money for themselves and poor orphans weren't really well liked at that time. He returned home and got family in the end and good job, the village still remembers him dearly. That's not the only war story i have in the family, there are many and they are all unique and equally tragic. To watch this movie is double hard when u actually see ur people on screen and u know that ur family went through it too. I feel it in my blood almost, their struggles will be always part of my genetic memory.

[@carlpanzram7081]

Great story. Your home country has seen some horrific violence. Maybe it helps you that this is not exclusive to your people, litteraly every country has seen unimaginable violence in their history. Brutal war has been the norm for most of humanities history, and we all have the potential for it in our dna. No matter where you look, humans have been excruciatingly cruel to each other. We are living in the better times now my friend.

[@chrisquinlan6527]

Come And See is an astounding piece of art. A difficult but worthwhile watch.

[@neptuniite]

This was such a remarkably intelligent and comprehensive analysis. Well done!

[@haseulibae7083]

This is one of those movies that I will only be able to watch once. I'm glad I did, because it's a work of art, but never again. It's completely horrific.

[@milan-px5uq]

I am so happy to have come across this channel, great stuff

[@knotz909]

i watched this movie after seeing your review and man, It moved me beyond any words. i repeated several scenes often just to absorb what the heck is going on, because i will likely not watch it again by myself xD

[@jasonm.8174]

Holy heck this is some of the best and most astute film commentary Ive seen here on the tube. I am def subscribing

[@drunkvax]

It’s crazy how severely underrated this movie is

[@choco-une]

Overrated if anything

[@gnas1897]

​@@choco-une barely anyone outside of the former USSR knows about it.

[@choco-une]

It’s on the top 100 of imdb

[@gnas1897]

@@choco-une should be in the top 5

[@northernzeus768]

ThAnkyou for the in depth commentary on one of my very favorite movies of all time. Haunting and brilliant is this masterpiece. Liked and subbed. 😊👍

[@mikakishimori8856]

"Come and see" and "Deer hunter" are both movies that you cannot stop thinking of right after you finish watching it...

[@hermanbruner2913]

this movie is very similar to Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien. very similar music, colors, camera direction and a completely psychedelic mood of impending terror that takes over the body. Additionally, Come and See contains some mysterious mysticism thanks to which you can watch this film over and over again and discover something new every time. A great film masterpiece. one of the top 10 movies of all time.

[@Leguinan]

I watched this movie in a cinema festival in the 80's. I was in my late teens. I still remember how the audience was silent after the final scene, and how people did not leave the theatre immediately. This movie leaves you in shock, but also drives into your head a deep sense of respect. You are not supposed to applaud, or rush out of theatre chatting. I heard that other people had the same experience. It is not hollywood, action, good/bad, heroes and fun, it is a deep work of art that has an utter respect for people, for pain, for the dead and the ones who survive.

[@kevinwhelan9607]

I had never heard of this film. Thank you for posting this and your fascinating insights, not least on what the director did in terms of lenses.

[@easy94883]

The whole movie is on KZbin in HD with Eng subtitles

[@thegreatmarondraith8741]

I never heard of this movie before but I really wanna see it now. I can't believe it's from 1985! It reminds me of Son of Saul, another movie that takes place during this time. If you haven't done a video on Son of Saul, I implore you to do so! Legendary stuff, man ❤

[@thegreatmarondraith8741]

Though I have yet to see this one, I think Son of Saul is actually more disturbing

[@Sixstringman]

Most of the best movies were made in the 80's when cocaine ruled the world.

[@Brucer42O]

I think the entire movie is/was on youtube