A World War II film renowned for its brutal realism and a harrowing 25-minute “sequence from hell” has officially become the highest-rated movie in cinematic history.
The historical war drama has long been celebrated for its haunting authenticity and emotional depth, with both critics and audiences praising it as one of the most significant anti-war films ever made.
Sharing their reactions online, one viewer wrote: “It is horrifying, accurate, [and] devastating in every sense.” Another added: “This isn’t a fun and enjoyable film but it’s a necessary one.”
“One of the most disturbing films I’ve ever seen,” said a third viewer. “This is going to stick with me for a long time, truly a testament to the devastating power of cinema.”
According to Letterboxd, the popular film review platform, users have ranked the movie as the highest-rated narrative feature of all time, surpassing timeless Hollywood masterpieces and fan favorites alike.
The Soviet anti-war classic, Come and See, draws inspiration from two literary works — Ales Adamovich’s 1971 novel Khatyn and the 1977 collection I Am from the Fiery Village, which recount the atrocities endured by civilians during the Nazi occupation of Belarus.
Directed by Soviet filmmaker Elem Klimov, the movie follows a young Belarusian boy named Flyora (played by Aleksei Kravchenko) as he experiences firsthand the unimaginable horrors of war. Klimov, who infused his own wartime memories into the film, shot the project in chronological order to reflect the boy’s psychological descent from innocence to trauma.
One of the film’s most infamous scenes — a nearly 25-minute sequence often called “a sequence from hell” — has been described by Collider as “one of the most sickening depictions of wartime” ever captured on film. In this moment, Flyora is forced to watch helplessly as an entire village is locked inside a church and burned alive — a sequence that continues to haunt audiences decades later.
Kravchenko later shared that he was treated “as a grown-up person” on set and expected “to work to the sweat of my brow.” Despite being a teenager, he endured the immense psychological and physical challenges of the role.
The actor also revealed that Klimov once attempted to hypnotize him to help manage the distress of the most traumatic scenes. However, when hypnosis failed, Kravchenko relied solely on his own resilience to continue filming. IMDb reports that he often performed the most harrowing moments without any assistance, lending even greater authenticity to his performance.
To prepare him emotionally, Klimov showed Kravchenko actual footage from Nazi concentration camps, ensuring he fully grasped the story’s gravity. Reports further claim that the director asked the young actor to lose weight to appear more gaunt and malnourished — a request Kravchenko fulfilled by subsisting on water for days and running long distances daily.
Today, Come and See boasts a 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is highly ranked in Sight & Sound’s Directors’ Poll of the greatest films ever made, solidifying its legacy as one of cinema’s most powerful and haunting works.
In a recent Facebook post, Letterboxd confirmed: “Elem Klimov’s Come and See is now officially the highest-rated narrative feature film of all time on Letterboxd.” The platform added, “It’s the fourth film to ever take that spot after The Godfather, Parasite, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
For those who haven’t yet watched it, the trailer offers only a glimpse into the raw emotion and unflinching brutality that make Come and See a timeless and devastating portrayal of the human cost of war.
