Heart Breaking and Emotionally Provoking

Rating: 10/10 (4 June 2012)

Come and See is one of those movies, which leaves you speechless and most likely confused. Being from a country whose people had a similar fate as Belarusians, this movie was emotionally numbing because back in my home country, people are exposed to information about the outcomes of occupations, by Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, from an early age, which means that watching a movie like "Come and See" is rather sad than shocking.
Many individuals in America and Europe have learned about Nazis and Communist at schools, but then straight away forgotten because such information is just another fact with no personal experience attached. Being used to hearing about the genocide and wars, such as Vietnam War, where thousands people die, people do not see that information as shocking anymore. However, after watching Come and See, many should be able to understand why schools and society put such a big emphasis on human cruelty against other human beings through out the course of history as being shocking.
For some this movie might feel fictional, but sadly it was the reality of many people back in Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. For those who have never experienced having relatives brutally killed in a foreign country or burnt to death, Come and See is a good example of insanity and pain one had to feel.
People tend to incorrectly refer to Belarusians as Russians just because they were occupied by Soviet Russia and for decades ruled under Communist regime. It is important to understand that the characters in Come and See are fighting not just against Nazi Germany, but also against Soviet Union. This movie is a cry for freedom and independence, not just a celebration of victory against Nazi Germany. It is true that this film was made for a 40 year anniversary of Soviet Union's victory in World War II (as well as Cold War, and Gorbachevs 3 year plan Glasnost and Perestroika); however, as Eastern Europeans had a tendency to have subtext in their movies, I do highly believe that the freedom of ones nation was the main theme of the movie.