Intense but gratifying movie with a message

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2010)

"Come and See" is a very memorable movie for me. I can't help but picture the scenes that I'll never forget over and over again. It has so many elements that makes this movie as strong as it is. The message I got from this movie is the realities of war are not what is shown in "Hollywood" movies. This movie sheds the light on the truths of war so creatively that as a viewer, you can't help but feel like you are there with Florya, enduring all that he endures. Florya starts out so naive and innocent to the horrors of war, like most recruits of the military are. His face of sublime happiness when the soldiers come to take him to the camp set up in the woods is frightening. He only sees the glory and fame that war can offer while his mother, who is sobbing uncontrollably, knows what could happen to him as well as to her self and her twin daughters. This moment touched me because I have a little brother who will have to enlist soon but thankful he is not blind to the truth of war. I couldn't promise that I wouldn't sob like Florya's mother if my brother had to go war. Florya then meets Glasha, a beautiful woman who seems to be the lover or perhaps ex-lover of Koshach, the commander of the soldiers. Glasha is a pivotal character for Florya because she seems to represent all woman for Florya. Florya's humanity is also seen when he cares and builds a shelter for Glasha. Glasha eventually becomes all that Florya must protect because he loses his mother and twin sisters. The scene where the audience discovers the death of Florya's family is so heartbreaking and I found myself silently hoping and praying that maybe his mother and twin sisters are on that island in the middle of the bog. I knew deep down that there was no chance that they survived but I couldn't bring myself to abandon hope. This film definitely made me feel for the characters and that is what makes it so intense, at least for me. These characters could be people today. Glasha is a girl who wants to be loved but is rejected by the man she wants. Florya is a boy trying to prove he's a man by using combat. This film is very realistic and I think it is amazing that the director used actual bombs and gunfire for authenticity. "Come and See" does a great job of showing the audience what war is really like and I believe that is important because so many people are disillusioned by movies that glamorize war when the truth is there is no real victory in war. I like how this film starts Florya out in a sort of peaceful camp site where the soldiers of the partisan are gathered then the audience is thrusted into real warfare, shown by the used of real bombs dropped near the Florya and Glasha when an air attack begins. The scenes that were most brutal for me were the barn-burning scene, and the girl rape at the end. Even though the actress who played Glasha isn't the actress who played the girl who was raped at the end, I couldn't help but connect the two. although Glasha's fate is never revealed in the film, she probably ended up just like that girl at the end because she was pretty and couldn't fight back an army of Nazis by herself. In conclusion I definitely recommend this film but be forewarned that it's not exactly easy to watch.