Come and See

Come and See

Directed by Elem Klimov • 1985 • Soviet Union

This legendary film from Soviet director Elem Klimov is a senses-shattering plunge into the dehumanizing horrors of war. As Nazi forces encroach on his small village in Belorussia, teenage Flyora (Alexei Kravchenko, in a searing depiction of anguish) eagerly joins the Soviet resistance. Rather than the adventure and glory he envisioned, what he finds is a waking nightmare of unimaginable carnage and cruelty—rendered with a feverish, otherworldly intensity by Klimov’s subjective camera work and expressionistic sound design. Nearly blocked from being made by Soviet censors, who took seven years to approve its script, COME AND SEE is perhaps the most visceral, impossible-to-forget antiwar film ever made.

Come and See
  • Come and See

    Directed by Elem Klimov • 1985 • Soviet Union

    This legendary film from Soviet director Elem Klimov is a senses-shattering plunge into the dehumanizing horrors of war. As Nazi forces encroach on his small village in Belorussia, teenage Flyora (Alexei Kravchenko, in a searing depiction of anguish)...

Extras

  • Elem Klimov

    The following interview with director Elem Klimov was recorded in 2001. In it, Klimov discusses the production of COME AND SEE as well as his own experiences during World War II.

  • Roger Deakins on COME AND SEE

    The following interview with cinematographer Roger Deakins was recorded in Los Angeles in February 2020. In it, he discusses the look of COME AND SEE.

  • Alexei Kravchenko on COME AND SEE

    The following inteview with Alexei Kravchenko was recorded in 2001. In it, the actor discusses how he was cast as Flyora in COME AND SEE and working with director Elem Klimov.

  • Viktor Petrov on COME AND SEE

    The following interview with production designer Viktor Petrov was recorded in 2001. In it, he discusses working with cinematographer Alexei Rodionov and the challenges of shooting on location.

  • Flaming Memory: Handful of Sand

    Belarusian writer and director Viktor Dashuk's five-part documentary series recounts the horrors experienced by the Belarusian people during World War II, through firsthand accounts of survivors and newsreel footage. Presented here is one of the five films.

  • Flaming Memory: Mute Screams

    Belarusian writer and director Viktor Dashuk's five-part documentary series recounts the horrors experienced by the Belarusian people during World War II, through firsthand accounts of survivors and newsreel footage. Presented here is one of the five films.

  • Flaming Memory: Woman from the Killed Village

    Belarusian writer and director Viktor Dashuk's five-part documentary series recounts the horrors experienced by the Belarusian people during World War II, through firsthand accounts of survivors and newsreel footage. Presented here is one of the five films.

  • German Klimov

    In the following interview, recorded in Moscow in February 2020, German Klimov recounts the career of his brother, director Elem Klimov, and the production of COME AND SEE.

  • Karyn Kusama on COME AND SEE

  • The Story of the Film “Come and See”

    This 1985 program features on-set footage from the production of COME AND SEE as well as interviews with director Elem Klimov, writer Ales Adamovich, and actor Alexei Kravchenko.