Witnessing the time of war in Soviet Russia

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2008)

Kilmov's 1985 film ''Idi i smotri'' or the American title ''Come and See'' does a extraordinary job of not only inviting the audience to witness the time of war in Soviet Russia but to understand and feel how it affected one through the eyes of a young boy named Florya(Sonny in English subtitles).
The film opens with a scene where a Partisan is yelling followed by Florya digging painstakingly on the ground for weapons with another boy. The day after, Partisans come to Florya's home and take him with them to start organizing for the Nazi confrontation, while the Florya's mother is left in tears. Soon after joining the Partisans to face the Nazi's, Florya is left behind, as well as a girl named Glasha.
Through the film, the audience is able to experience the brutality of human beings towards one another. At times it is hard to understand what is happening precisely, perhaps one of the reason is because there is not a lot of straight forward dialogue. For instance, I feel the movie instead reaches out to the audience through the use of graphic demonstrations of the plot rather than explanations from the characters.
One of the most crucial moments is when the Nazis moved forced villagers into a wooden church only to demolish it. Florya was one of many that were mixed into the crowds and fatefully fled when the Nazis gave mercy for those who did not have children. There is a scene where a woman was able to leave the wooden church but her baby was thrown carelessly back into the church.
Although towards the end of the film Florya barely speaks, one can define his emotions by his facial expressions. As his experience during the Soviet War progresses, so does his age. At the beginning of the film he looks healthy and around thirteen years old. By the end of the film, he looks as if he has aged twice his own age, but still had some sanity with the exception of his condition. When Florya meets Glasha again, they both look almost as if under psychological trauma and there is a sense of understanding through their silence.
In the scene where Florya's mother pleads the Partisans to not take her son to go fight and says that he is a good polite boy and would never hurt anybody. Florya took his revenge through art. In his revenge scene, which is considered to be the most memorable and powerful scene in the film, shows Florya shooting at a Adolf Hitler painting, which was carried earlier in the film by someone. Within every few seconds of him destroying the painting, there are flashback clips of dead bodies at the concentration camp, Hitler giving regards to a German boy, the Nazi party, and many other Hitler moments. As each of these images unwind, Florya viciously shoots the painting. He does not shoot when the image of Hitler as a baby in his mother's lap appears, which shows a kind of purity and innocence for which he protects. His little sisters and mother may be one of many personal reasons he wanted to join the Partisans. I feel he wanted to protect his family and he wanted to make sure his siblings were going to be able to have a future.
Come and See definitely sets the bar at being one of the most crucial, disturbing, and unforgettable films. Klimov allowed many of the rifle shots heard throughout the film to be real. Apparently, one of the bullets was only seven inches away from the head of the boy who played the character Florya. Klimov did this to give the film a more authentic feel within the set. With this extremely risky technique and the works of a brilliant director, the final product and outcome were all done precisely, leaving a long lasting impression on the audience as if they were there.