Come and See
Elem Klimov
Soviet Union. 1985. 143 min.
In Belarusian, Russian, and German with English subtitles
Come and See is one of the most powerful and brutal Soviet films about the war that tells the story of the Nazi occupation of Belarus in 1943. The main protagonist is a 16-year-old boy, Flyora, who participates in the guerrilla movement and witnesses the horrors of an SS death squad in action. Within two days, he transforms from a cheerful teenager into a grey-haired old man. This film is the strongest anti-war statement, affecting the viewer almost on a physiological level. By means of its sharp and shocking forms it avoids romanticising the bloodshed, and questions the nature of violence in the world.
In April 2022, Come and See was shown on Channel One, the main Russian state-controlled television channel. The pacifist pathos of this film was thus embedded in today’s militant propaganda discourse. At the same time, it is being actively shown in the West, drawing parallels between the crimes of the Nazi army and the horrific actions of the Russian soldiers who have invaded Ukraine. This collision around Come and See raises issues of the ability of art to convey anti-war messages and influence the public consciousness. Can it really serve as a vaccine against violence?
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Elem Klimov (1933–2003) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker and screenwriter. In 1957, he graduated from Moscow’s Higher Institute of Aviation, briefly considering a career in journalism before enrolling in the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), where he met fellow film student Larisa Shepitko, whom he married in 1963. Klimov's first film Welcome, or No Trespassing (1964) – a satirical comedy that criticised Soviet bureaucracy – was called "anti-Soviet" by the authorities. Subsequently, the director regularly encountered censorship and suppression. His film Agony (1975) was shelved for ten years; it was later awarded the FIPRESCI prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1985. His last and most famous film, Come and See (1985), was produced from a screenplay written by Ales Adamovich and won the Golden Prize at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. Between 1986 and 1988, during Perestroika, Klimov headed the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR and oversaw the release of many previously banned films. Most of his work has received prestigious awards at international film festivals.