I will admit the first hour of this movie was losing me but the second hour is where I understand why people call this one of the greatest anti-war films out there. For a war movie, it’s very eerie especially at the end, it almost had horror vibes to it which I loved. The sounds of the movie are chaotic like in wartime though I will admit sometimes the sound effects were more an annoyance than anything else. The main reason I put this move so low is the beginning is a bit of a drag, I understand they are trying to build the kids innocence before destroying it but it was a yawn fest compared to the rest of the film. There were many long and drawn out shots that felt a bit unnecessary. I also felt like there were just a few too many staring into the camera moments where it made it less powerful than if they had done it a bit more infrequently. I give props to the actor who played the protagonist, he did a phenomenal performance with his facial expressions and acting, he really was able to capture his role. I might watch again, I don’t know though.

I will admit the first hour of this movie was losing me but the second hour is where I understand why people call this one of the greatest anti-war films out there. For a war movie, it’s very eerie especially at the end, it almost had horror vibes to it which I loved. The sounds of the movie are chaotic like in wartime though I will admit sometimes the sound effects were more an annoyance than anything else. The main reason I put this move so low is the beginning is a bit of a drag, I understand they are trying to build the kids innocence before destroying it but it was a yawn fest compared to the rest of the film. There were many long and drawn out shots that felt a bit unnecessary. I also felt like there were just a few too many staring into the camera moments where it made it less powerful than if they had done it a bit more infrequently. I give props to the actor who played the protagonist, he did a phenomenal performance with his facial expressions and acting, he really was able to capture his role. I might watch again, I don’t know though.

this film rejects every cinematic comfort we’ve been taught to expect from war stories. this is the true horror of war it doesn’t just kill the body, it kills what’s inside us. especially in the young, where there’s still so much softness to destroy. watching his transformation made me think about how many young people in history were robbed of the chance to grow up gently, how many were thrown into terror before they even understood what it meant to live. and that’s what this film forces you to confront: not just what war does, but what it takes.

and i love that intensity. the way aleksei kravchenko went through on set wasn’t just acting, it was a near-psychological breakdown captured on film. they used real bullets in scenes. they made him lie beside corpses. they pulled him through mud, fire, and emotional chaos without a safety net. because of that, it gave birth to one of the most powerful performances i’ve ever seen, not polished or technical, but raw, trembling, alive. but i hate it too. because it came at a cost. you can see it in his eyes. the moments where he doesn’t look like he’s acting at all, because he isn’t. it makes me wonder how much a person, especially a child, should have to endure in the name of art.

this also calls out those who still believe that fighting means purpose, or that suffering builds character. but war doesn’t build anything. it’s the opposite. it doesn’t shape you into a hero, it breaks you into something unrecognizable. and that change, once it happens, is irreversible. it also shows how in war, the ones who suffer most are often the ones with the least power: the children, the poor, the innocent. the ones who never chose to fight, but are forced to carry the weight of violence anyway.

rated 5 stars. this is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. but it’s hard to praise it without also grieving over what the young actor experienced. so it’s also one of those rare works of art that leaves me with both awe and unease.

#14 : watch a film from the criterion channel's all time favorites lists | my criterion challenge 2025 | the art of emotional wreckage 𖥔 ݁ ˖

this film rejects every cinematic comfort we’ve been taught to expect from war stories. this is the true horror of war it doesn’t just kill the body, it kills what’s inside us. especially in the young, where there’s still so much softness to destroy. watching his transformation made me think about how many young people in history were robbed of the chance to grow up gently, how many were thrown into terror before they even understood what it meant to live. and that’s what this film forces you to confront: not just what war does, but what it takes.

and i love that intensity. the way aleksei kravchenko went through on set wasn’t just acting, it was a near-psychological breakdown captured on film. they used real bullets in scenes. they made him lie beside corpses. they pulled him through mud, fire, and emotional chaos without a safety net. because of that, it gave birth to one of the most powerful performances i’ve ever seen, not polished or technical, but raw, trembling, alive. but i hate it too. because it came at a cost. you can see it in his eyes. the moments where he doesn’t look like he’s acting at all, because he isn’t. it makes me wonder how much a person, especially a child, should have to endure in the name of art.

this also calls out those who still believe that fighting means purpose, or that suffering builds character. but war doesn’t build anything. it’s the opposite. it doesn’t shape you into a hero, it breaks you into something unrecognizable. and that change, once it happens, is irreversible. it also shows how in war, the ones who suffer most are often the ones with the least power: the children, the poor, the innocent. the ones who never chose to fight, but are forced to carry the weight of violence anyway.

rated 5 stars. this is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. but it’s hard to praise it without also grieving over what the young actor experienced. so it’s also one of those rare works of art that leaves me with both awe and unease.

#14 : watch a film from the criterion channel's all time favorites lists | my criterion challenge 2025 | the art of emotional wreckage 𖥔 ݁ ˖

War steals faces before it steals lives.
***
***Come and See has stunning visuals and jaw-dropping performances, the expressions alone tell the whole story.  It’s not just a war movie, it’s an experience. Painful, raw, and impossible to forget. Some films entertain, this one scars.

War steals faces before it steals lives.
***
***Come and See has stunning visuals and jaw-dropping performances, the expressions alone tell the whole story.  It’s not just a war movie, it’s an experience. Painful, raw, and impossible to forget. Some films entertain, this one scars.

Same thing happened to me in a Fortnite match 😓😓

Same thing happened to me in a Fortnite match 😓😓

Brutal watch. What were they feeding kids in 80s soviet union bro how was the lead actor just 15 at the time of release

Brutal watch. What were they feeding kids in 80s soviet union bro how was the lead actor just 15 at the time of release