Nazi German Oppression from Russian Point of View

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2010)

Elem Klimov's _Come and See_ is a horrific odyssey into World War II, taking place in Russia and told from the perspective of a country-bred, teenage boy - Florya (played by Aleksei Kravchenko).
As we are drawn along Florya's journey, we are subjected to various acts of unspeakable violence by Nazi German officers – the slaughtering of a village, rape of a teenage girl, a mass of people being burned alive.
Klimov's decision to tell this story through the eyes of a naïve adolescent allows the audience to experience the Nazi German occupation of Russia as an ordinary person living in Russia might have. The situations and circumstances the boy witnesses for the first time are also things the audience, most likely, is seeing for the first time. Florya is our entryway into the Russian's experience of World War II. He is our connection to this time period.
Florya's perspective enables us to sympathize with Russia's attempt to fight off Nazi military forces; also, it enables us to see, first-hand, what Nazi soldiers were really like, how they acted, the content of their conversations, their attitudes toward their enemies, their reasons for military aggression.
As I watched _Come and See_, I was deeply unsettled by the scenes and the raw emotion which seemed to pervade the entire scope of the movie. It almost plays like a documentary, with a hidden camera following Florya along his journey.
Another noteworthy aspect of the film was the fact Florya maintains his essential humanity despite the brutality and abject circumstances he finds himself in because of the Nazi soldiers' actions. I believe Klimov made this decision to maintain the audience's empathy and rapport with the character. If Florya had decided to go on a rampage and begin furiously murdering already wounded Nazi's, I believe our connection to Florya would have been severed and, hence, a loss of interest or, at least, a detached viewing of the remainder of the movie may have been the result. Florya's goodness (despite his flaws), keeps us on his side.
As I walked out of the lecture hall after finishing _Come and See_, I felt gratitude for the fact I live in the United States, a nation in which freedom is protected and homeland security is a top priority. At least for the rest of the night, everyday concerns (like the issues which pertain to being a minority in a white-dominated area of Los Angeles, or wanting to know if the Dodgers had won) fell by the wayside – they had lost their power over me. I was glad to be alive.