Intense

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2008)

This is, without a doubt, the most intense and grueling war movie I have ever seen. The entire film is a complete onslaught of the senses. It is the story of a young boy named Florya and his small Soviet village during the Nazi invasion of World War II. At first, naive to the reality of war, Florya finds and gun and is excited to join the Russian militia-style resistance to the Nazis, much to the dismay of his mother. The time span of the movie is only over a few days, but the boy appears to age years over the horrific events he endures. The soundtrack is absolutely harrowing--as bombs are dropped and the camp is attacked, it's as if the viewer's ears are ringing amongst the chaos.
At two and a half hours long, watching the film is a rather draining experience. Notably, towards the end of the movie as a village is burned by Nazi soldiers. All the townspeople, including Florya, are forced into the building as it is set on fire. As the camera shows people inside fighting to open the doors, crammed into the building, I started to feel panic attacks and claustrophobia. I felt I was in that building, scared and completely helpless, struggling desperately to get out. The Nazis are, as usual, inhuman dogs who drink and laugh wildly as an entire village is burned inside a building, only allowing out adults with no children. Florya's fate is decided by the whim of an officer, who waves him away with a nonchalant wave as the troupe marches on to burn another village. The ending speaks an important message, as the Russians simply shoot a small band of Nazi soldiers, rather than burning them alive in kind.
I honestly don't believe that these things I gave away will take away from the experience of the film because this film is just that, an experience. It is a long and depressing and grueling film, but one certainly worth watching. The titles at the end, stating that what happened here happened in over 400 villages, is beyond my comprehension. War is not presented as courageous or glorious, but as it really is, terrible and traumatic. I did not sleep the night I saw this movie. Difficult to sit through but it should absolutely be seen by all.