A decades-old World War II movie, once considered too harrowing for mainstream audiences, has now achieved an extraordinary milestone, it’s officially the highest-rated narrative film of all time on Letterboxd.
The Soviet anti-war masterpiece, Come and See, continues to devastate and captivate audiences nearly 40 years after its release, earning praise for its brutal honesty and emotional impact.
Social media has erupted with reactions to the film’s intense portrayal of the horrors of war.
“It is horrifying, accurate, [and] devastating in every sense,” wrote one viewer on X. Another admitted: “This isn’t a fun and enjoyable film but it’s a necessary one.”
A third added: “One of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen. This is going to stick with me for a long time, truly a testament to the devastating power of cinema.”
Despite being nearly 40 years old, the film’s haunting power continues to resonate, climbing above cinematic heavyweights like The Godfather and Parasite to claim the top spot on Letterboxd’s all-time narrative rankings.
Based on Real Survivor Testimonies From Belarus
Directed by Soviet-Russian filmmaker Elem Klimov, Come and See draws heavily from real accounts of the Nazi occupation of Belarus during World War II.
The screenplay was adapted from Ales Adamovich’s 1971 novel Khatyn and his later collection of survivor testimonies, I Am from the Fiery Village.
Klimov, who experienced the war as a child, poured those memories into the film, creating a deeply personal and unflinching portrait of loss and trauma.
The story follows Flyora, a young Belarusian boy played by Aleksei Kravchenko, whose innocence is shattered as he witnesses the unspeakable atrocities committed by German forces.
Shot in chronological order, the film mirrors Flyora’s psychological collapse, from a wide-eyed teenager to a hollow, haunted survivor.
The 25-Minute Scene That Changed War Cinema Forever
One sequence, in particular, has entered cinema legend. Described by Collider as “one of the most sickening depictions of wartime ever filmed,” the 25-minute village-burning scene remains almost unbearable to watch, with one user on X writing that it was "25 minutes from hell".
In the sequence, Flyora is captured by Nazi soldiers, who hold a gun to his head and force him to watch as hundreds of villagers are burned alive inside a church.
The realism is so intense that Kravchenko later revealed he was hypnotized to endure the emotional toll of filming. But according to IMDb, he proved resistant to hypnosis, meaning he had to act through the horror unaided.
To prepare, Klimov showed the young actor real footage of concentration camps to capture the correct tone of despair. Kravchenko also underwent a grueling regime to appear more malnourished on screen, jogging for hours and fasting for days to lose his youthful glow.
The director later described making the movie as “a descent into hell,” and few who have seen it would disagree.
Credit YouTube.
Critical Acclaim and Global Recognition
Come and See holds a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and ranks among the Greatest Films of All Time in Sight & Sound’s Directors’ Poll.
On Facebook, Letterboxd announced the film’s new record-breaking status, writing: “Elem Klimov’s Come and See is now officially the highest-rated narrative feature film of all time on Letterboxd. It’s the fourth film to ever take that spot after The Godfather, Parasite, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Though not for the faint-hearted, Come and See stands as one of the most powerful anti-war statements ever put on film, a chilling reminder of humanity’s darkest moments, and the enduring resilience of those who lived through them.