Come and See (1985)

The film was written and directed by Elem Kilmov.

Klimov did not make any more films after this one, leading some critics to speculate as to why. In 2001, Klimov said:

“…….. I lost interest in making films ... Everything that was possible I felt I had already done……” -Wikipedia

This is a Russian World War II movie, film told in the view of a young boy named Florya, set in Byelorussia, known as Belarus. He lives in a tiny village, which is in the way of the march of German Nazi solders in the pursuit of capturing Moscow. One day Florya finds a rifle and leaves his mom and sisters in the village and join the Soviet partisans, who are going to stop the Nazis. In the partisans camp he is left behind and not taken to the frontlines, disappointed Florya finds a girl named Glasha in the camp. Shortly the German bombers attack the empty camp, leaving both in a shocking state and Florya to deafness.

Florya and the girl goes back his village and finds its deserted, at one point they see a heap of dead bodies, Florya comes into conclusion that some of the villagers are hiding in a nearby island which is in the swamp. The both cross the muddy swamp, which turns us and the actors in a weird state. The both see other villagers there, Florya sees his uncle who is in his death bed and almost fully burnt by the German solders. This experience leaves Florya into a shocking state. With people starving Florya and some four guys leave in search of food.

In the quest of finding food, they get a cow, but in this adventure all die including the cow, but Florya escapes in the early morning mist. He goes to near by village and witness the atrocities done by the Nazis. The villagers are burnt in the barn, women get rapped, babies thrown away. After a grueling German rage filled moments the partisans arrive in capturing and killing the Germans.

In the end Florya is left with his rifle and a Hitler portrait in the muddy water, takes his rifle and starts shooting the portrait, every gun shot is interleaved with an actual footage of Hitler, the footages are shown in reverse time. The portrait is torn apart and the final footage is the young Hitler in the lap oh his mother. The film ends with Florya joining the partisans and camera pans to the open sky

• In the scene where the cow and group encounter the German bullets, its real bullets which are flying just a foot above their head and the cow is actually killed!!
  

Considered one of best WW movie ever made, the final shooting of the Hitler portrait I consider the best of scene ever, it had some much to tell. The footages are shown in the reverse time effect, so bomb which is actually dropped from a plane goes into the plane, a building which actually collapses by the bombing will de-collapse, I thought the director mean to say that everything will become “fine” and “ordered”. In the final footage where Hitler is sitting on the lap of his mother, I felt the film maker was trying to ask the mother “Why you gave birth to such an evil guy”.