Any war brings unimaginable suffering, but World War 2 in particular was one of the most horrifying periods in human history. Millions of lives were lost, and atrocities were committed on a scale the world had never seen before.
One film that has captured that darkness with terrifying realism is Come and See, a Soviet anti-war epic that many viewers have called the “most gruesome and haunting” World War 2 movie ever made. Directed by Elem Klimov and released in 1985, the film follows a teenage boy named Flyora during the Nazi occupation of Belarus. What begins as a story of youthful resistance quickly turns into a horrifying portrayal of terror, trauma and brutality, all based on real events.
Film experts at Screen Rant ranked Come and See at the top of their list titled Top 10 Movies That Show The Most Horrific Depictions Of War.
They wrote: “Directed by Elem Klimov, Come and See is usually cited as the most graphic and haunting anti-war film of all time.
“Flyora and his childhood friend are quickly rounded up and forced to participate and witness some of the worst atrocities committed by the Nazi soldiers in rural villages.”
The film has been widely praised for its realism and emotional impact, with viewers often struggling to describe how deeply it affected them.
“It’s not an easy watch, but it’s not supposed to be. A brutally important film that shows the darkest, most vile side of humanity. Words can’t do it justice,” one person wrote in a review.
Another added: “Not only the best war movie ever made, but one of the best films of all time.
“Heartbreaking, beautiful, violent, terrifying (the final sequence is one of the most heart-pounding and brutal in all of cinema) and yet somehow uplifting in the end.”
One viewer described it as “objectively one of the scariest horror films ever made,” explaining: “After rewatching this movie multiple times, I was shivering in fear of what I was watching, and to think about the fact that this actually happened brings the heaviest chills down my spine.”
“This is the best movie of all time in my opinion,” another said. “It has one of the best acting performances ever put on screen and I also think it’s the most important film of all time. I think everyone should give it a chance.”
“I can’t describe what I’ve watched,” one person added. “But it was the most gruesome and haunting film I’ve ever seen. I was speechless by the end of it. It’s the pinnacle of movie making.”
The film holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an even higher 96% audience score.
It was ranked 41st on Sight & Sound’s 2022 Directors’ Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time and has appeared on multiple “must-see” lists, including Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time and Channel 4’s 50 Films to See Before You Die.
While it is not an easy watch, Come and See is widely considered one of the most powerful anti-war films ever made, and for many, one of the most unforgettable.