Come and See

Told from the perspective of a young Russian boy (barely into his teens) who joins his countrymen to fend off invading Nazi troops, Soviet director Elem Klimov's wrenching 1985 film about the gratuitous atrocities committed against Russian non-combatants during WWII really captures war's casual horrors, as lingering close-ups of the prematurely aging boy show his naiveté gradually shattered by the brutality he witnesses. Although the video mastering from a nearly flawless print is commendable, splitting the film between two discs (as opposed to using a dual-layer disc or segregating the dispensable supplemental material) makes for an interruptive changeover. Badly dubbed in English and French but generously subtitled in 13 languages, the extras include interviews with the lead actor, scriptwriter, and production designer. Recommended. (T. Rich)