A World War II film featuring a harrowing 25-minute sequence often described as “a descent into hell” has been voted one of the highest-rated movies of all time. Widely praised for its brutal realism and emotional depth, the film is considered essential viewing.
On social media, one user remarked, “It’s horrifying, accurate, and emotionally devastating in every way.”
Another commented, “This isn’t a film you watch for enjoyment—it’s one you watch because it matters.”
A third viewer shared, “One of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen. It will stay with me for a long time—a powerful reminder of what cinema can do.”
The Soviet anti-war film is largely based on Ales Adamovich’s 1971 novel Khatyn and the 1977 collection of survivor testimonies, I Am from the Fiery Village.
Directed by Soviet-Russian filmmaker Elem Klimov—who drew deeply from his own wartime childhood experiences—the film portrays the Nazi occupation of Belarus through the eyes of a teenage boy named Flyora (played by Aleksei Kravchenko). Shot in chronological order, the film traces Flyora’s transformation from an innocent, carefree youth to someone deeply traumatized by the horrors he witnesses.
One of the film’s most harrowing moments is a 25-minute sequence often described as one of the most disturbing portrayals of war ever put to screen. In it, Flyora is captured by Nazi soldiers, who hold a gun to his head and force him to watch as an entire village is burned alive inside a church.
Kravchenko, who stepped away from acting for ten years after the film, recalled being treated “like an adult” on set and said he was expected “to work until I was exhausted.” Come and See holds an impressive 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and was ranked 41st in the Sight & Sound Directors’ poll of the greatest films of all time.
In his praise for the film, Robert Daniels of The Playlist noted: “By framing the narrative through a child’s eyes, Klimov delivers a uniquely visceral depiction of war—one that doesn’t rely on hardened men broken by tragedy, but on a young soul robbed too soon of innocence.”
Ken Hanke of Mountain Xpress described it as “arguably the most harrowing, nightmarish portrayal of war ever captured on film.”
Meanwhile, on Letterboxd—a social platform for movie lovers—users have ranked it as the top narrative feature of all time.
Kravchenko revealed that he was hypnotized to help him cope with some of the most intense scenes in the film. However, according to IMDb, he was actually not susceptible to hypnosis and had to fake the process throughout.
Director Kilmov instructed Kravchenko to lose weight for the role, as he felt the actor looked too rosy-cheeked. Kravchenko followed an extreme diet, only drinking water for two days at a time and jogging for hours daily, as mentioned in a YouTube interview.
To set the mood for the film, Kravchenko was shown footage of Nazi concentration camps by the director to help him understand the tone of the movie.
To enhance the realism of the film, actual bullets were used during the gunfire scenes, with live rounds flying dangerously close to the actors.
Many of the characters in the film were portrayed by ordinary people rather than professional actors, further amplifying the sense of terror.
Klimov described the film as “a passionate warning against war.”
Come and See also incorporates archive footage from Nazi Germany, emphasizing that, despite the film’s terrifying nature, it pales in comparison to the horrors real people endured.
Watch the trailer for Come and See below…
