Real Wartime

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2011)

There is this one shot in "Come and See" where Florya, the movie's main character steps on a nest of eggs and we are shown this short shot of dead wet chicks in the middle of the mud moss. This tiny maybe 3second shot was so unbelievably powerful I felt sick for the next ten minutes. I watched an interview with Director Elem Klimov after I watched the movie. There was no way that the male actor that played Florya was mentally stable after such a horrific journey of war in this movie - Klimov explained that he used hypnosis during filming to make sure the actors were not affected. It made me think how different the movie would be if it was made in now time - there would be restrictions, laws and Klimov would have probably had to restrain his creative urges. The other thing Klimov mentioned in the interview was that the movie was originally going to be called "Kill Hitler" - Hitler standing for your inner demons. This theme that every one has a Hitler inside them that they fight constantly every day. Each person with a different battle. "Come and See" is literally a descent to hell. It is the only war movie where I have wholly felt like I was there - experiencing this horrific real war time of Nazi hell. Klimov gives us this microscopic view - He shows us the scale of things and the reality check that war is for small villages. By the end of the movie we are shown that it is the rag tag armies of these villages who are the ones that defeated the Nazis. It was bizarre to me how I felt a sense of hope through this revelation at the end. When Mozart's "Requiem" is playing at the end and we are shown this shot of just snow I felt this huge sense of relief. The fact that there were no humans or any man-made object in the shot, just snow, made me feel like finally I could breathe. Rebirth. A new beginning. Another chance at life. My favorite aspect of the movie was the use of sound. The music was an interesting choice - Mozart is most often looked at as beautiful and calming which is the complete opposite of what is depicted in the movie. My personal association with Mozart was also peaceful and it bothered me when I realized Mozart's music was being used through this heart-wrenching sick war movie. About three quarters of the way through, I realized it was probably Mozart that got me through the movie - That helped me through war. There was also this very small and constant sound of a buzzing fly - I was constantly irritated by this. I know this is what Klimov was aiming for and so I applaud him for the effect but I felt like shooting someone myself! Klimov's bravery as a Director was phenomenal. There was no fear of the truth and there was no fear in shoving the truth down the viewer's throat. We are taken on a journey with Florya - Klimov gives his character a huge arch and by the end we too like Florya feel a reason to fight - a reason to join - an explanation of what victory is. I would recommend this movie for the tough-hearted or anyone that is searching for the truth of our world.