Come and See
Nothing screams America and patriotism like watching an anti-war film from the Soviet Union (and no I'm not one of those dorks who thinks he's too good to watch fireworks, it's currently storming really bad where I live, so no fireworks). This movie started off decently slow to the point where I was starting to really question whether or not it deserved its rank of the third highest rated film on letterboxd, and boy was I fucking wrong immediately. This movie was one of the greatest movies I've ever seen while also being one of the most demoralizing movies I've ever seen. It created a new emotion within me that feels like the same emotion you get from watching Schindler's List but in an entirely different direction and you just can't describe it. I think what it is is that unlike Schindler's List, you're immediately thrown into all the despair within that movie. But with Come and See, it kicks you while you're down and just chips away at you until there is nothing left of you but a husk of skin and bone. The biggest thing that I love about this movie is without a doubt the cinematography. This is probably the greatest example of how to flawlessly execute an active camera. I cannot imagine the amount of cardio was done for the amount of running scenes that the camera follows with. I'm also in love with the POV shots and how dynamic they are. I love that we get the POV of having the actor reacting in front of us or having the POV of causing the reaction of the actor. Regardless, the camera work is absolutely amazing and really makes you feel like you're an active participant (against your will) within this film. And now I'm just supposed to move on with my night as if nothing happened.
Rating: 10/10
Ranking: #11/1,960
10 - 12 Angry Men (1957)
11 - Come and See (1985)
12 - Prisoners (2013)