Idi i smotri = Come and see

Come and see’ is a rare view of World War 2 from the Soviet perspective, based on real life experiences of writer Ales Adamovich. In 1943, the Nazis systematically decimated hundreds of Russian villages, slaughtering the inhabitants along the way. The horrors of the destruction are presented through the eyes of 13 year old Florya, who is adopted by a group of anti-German partisans, fighting in the woods of Byelorussia near the Polish border. When they abandon him, Florya is left to wander, gun in hand, on a dangerous return journey to his ruined village. Along the way he befriends a young girl Glascha, who accompanies him on a voyage representing his loss of innocence as a witness to wartime atrocities. When Flyora rejoins the partisans he is primed to mete out personalised and bitter justice for the destruction of his homeland and death of his mother. A haunting and powerful anti-war film, ‘Come and See’ is also a compelling coming of age story.

Credits: Director, Elem Klimov ; writer, Ales Adamovich, Elem Klimov ; photography, Alexei Rodionov ; music, Oleg Yanchenko ; editing, Valeriya Belova.
Cast: Aleksei Kravchenko, Olga Miranov, Victor Lorents, Liubomiras Lauiavicius, Vladas Bagdonas, Lyubomiras Lautsyavichyus.