Come and See (40th Anniversary Screening)

7:20pm - Saturday, Aug 2, 2025

Come and See (40th Anniversary Screening)

COME AND SEE - the widely acclaimed film from Soviet director Elem Klimov - is a stunning, senses-shattering plunge into the dehumanizing horrors of war. As Nazi forces encroach on his small village in present-day Belarus, teenage Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko, in one of the screen’s most searing depictions of anguish since Renée Falconetti’s JOAN OF ARC) eagerly joins the Soviet resistance. Rather than the adventure and glory he envisioned, what he finds is a waking nightmare of unimaginable carnage and cruelty—rendered with a feverish, otherworldly intensity by Klimov’s subjective camerawork and expressionistic sound design. Nearly suppressed by Soviet censors who took eight years to approve its script, COME AND SEE is perhaps the most visceral, impossible-to-forget antiwar film ever made. Originally released as "Idi i Smorti," COME AND SEE was the winner of the Grand Prix at the 1985 Moscow Film Festival.

"“The most harrowing horror film of all time is based on a true story. The film invites us to witness the atrocities of war as seen through the eyes of a child... The young star’s face changes dramatically over the course of the film." (Jordan Peele)

"I have rarely seen a film more ruthless in its depiction of human evil." (Roger Ebert)

"'Come and See' is a paradox: a visceral freefall into barbarism, but also a controlled, sometimes contemplative descent." (Los Angeles Times)

"A disorienting and undifferentiated amalgam of almost lyrical poeticism and expressionist nightmare." (Time Out)

Saturday, August 2
Doors 6:50 pm | Movie 7:20 pm *Time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

COME AND SEE "Idi i smotri" (Elem Klimov, 1985 / 142 mins / 18A / Russian with English subs) The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.


*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film only. Please redeem at the door.
*We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at www.riotheatretickets.ca. If a screening or live event is not sold out, the remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the Rio Theatre’s Box Office prior to showtime (subject to availability).
*Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats, and time for treats at concession.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime.

*All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. No refunds or exchanges.

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