"Come And See" defined in two words: nightmare fuel.
Director Elem Klimov planned to have lead actor Aleksey Kravchenko hypnotized by a psychotherapist during the most disturbing and violent scenes so that it wouldn't affect his young mind (14 years old at the start of production). However, he turned out not to be susceptible to hypnosis and ended up with psychological trauma.
Thanks for the recommendation, whoever you were (most likely here on tumblr). Definitely my favorite movie that I've seen this year so far, and maybe the best war movie in my life. Is it a bit of a propaganda movie? Maybe, but it's anti-fascist(&anti-war) propaganda, so... yeah. (Originally titled: Kill Hitler).
The film was co-written by Ales Adamovich, who's been a partisan as a teenager during WWII in Belarus, and had a pretty interesting life. I recommend reading his wikipedia article.
July was Foreign Film Month for me, meaning I prioritized watching movies made outside of America that were not in English. Here are 9 of my favorite foreign films that I watched for the first time this year in July.
Below are my star ratings for each film and some of my thoughts on them. Have a great month of August!
Oldboy (2003) dir. Park Chan-wook - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
By far one of the most fucked up and disturbing movies I’ve ever seen, yet still pretty much perfect in every way. I literally cannot think of a single flaw in this movie- it’s brutal and hard to watch at times but it very quickly made it onto my favorite films ever list.
The Handmaiden (2016) dir. Park Chan-wook - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
My second Park Chan-wook movie ever and it’s another great one! It’s not quite as good as Oldboy but it is a very effective thriller/drama film. I’m a fan of any film that features scheming lesbians and this is one of the best.
In the Mood for Love (2000) dir. Wong Kar-wei - ★ ★ ★ ★
I’m not typically the biggest fan of romantic dramas but this one was very effective; the protagonists and their developing relationship felt realistic here and I loved the atmosphere set up throughout the film.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan - ★ ★ ★ 1/2
This is a slow-burn film about a murder investigation with solid acting and great cinematography. Not a particularly eventful film but I enjoyed its overall style.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) dir. Yoshimitsu Banno - ★ ★ ★ ★
One of the most artistic and well-made Godzilla sequels out there, it’s an absolute shame that this is the only Yoshimitsu Banno ever directed because I really adore the style of it. Hedorah is one of the most intimidating Godzilla villains and her designs made for some unique (and bloody!) fight scenes against the big lizard. I liked it!
Happy Together (1997) dir. Wong Kar-wei - ★ ★ ★ ★
My second Wong Kar-wei movie ever and I have to say that I probably enjoyed this one a bit more than In the Mood for Love. Both are great movies of the same romantic drama genre, but this one just resonated with me more. I think its themes are just generally more universal, even if you’ve never been a gay man in an on-again-off-again relationship like the one in this film.
Come and See (1985) dir. Elem Klimov - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
By far one of the most devastating cinematic experiences I’ve ever been through and certainly the best war film I’ve ever seen. This movie is incredibly well-made, effective, and nothing short of fantastic, but it’s also one of those films that I will probably never watch again because of how much of an emotional toll it is.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) dir. Hayao Miyazaki - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Technically I have watched this movie before but I was really young when I saw it and didn’t remember pretty much anything about it. Upon re-watch, I found this to be a beautiful film with breathtaking animation and very likable characters. I do think it was a bit longer than it needed to be and that the ending was somewhat abrupt but overall I’m very glad I gave this another shot.
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) dir. Jun Fukuda - ★ ★ ★ ★
This was pretty clearly meant to be more of a Jet Jaguar film than a Godzilla movie, but if you’re like me and think that Jet Jaguar fucking rules then that’s not really a problem. I also really dug Megalon’s design in this film, but I think I just have a fondness for any big bug-things in Godzilla movies. This isn’t as good as Godzilla vs. Hedorah but it was still a fun way to finish off this month’s theme.