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The director of this unblinking account of the genocide in Belarus in 1942 and 1943 said that “people in America can’t watch my film. They have thrillers but this is something different.” He certainly got that right. A young farm boy is a witness to and victim of horrendous barbarism inflicted on a civilian population… now the most common kind of terror. The Politburo wanted a film to commemorate Victory Day, and director Elem Klimov gave them something nobody would forget. Although cinema gut-wrenchers have gone much further in the last 25 years, Kilmov’s unforgettable horrorshow rivets us through the haunted, paralyzed face of young actor Aleksei Kravchenko, who can scarcely process what he sees.

Come and See

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1035

1985 / Color / 1:37 / 143 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 30, 2020 / 39.95

Starring: Aleksei Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Laucevicius, Vladas Bagdonas, Evgeniy Tilicheev, Viktors Lorencs, J¨ri Lumiste.

Cinematography: Alexei...

★★★☆☆ From Pavel Lungin, the acclaimed director of Tsar (2009) and The Island (2007), comes The Conductor (Dirizhyor, 2012), a beautifully rendered orchestra of existential themes brought together to depict a sombre portrait of life. A famous Russian conductor, Vyacheslav Petrov (Vladas Bagdonas) takes his orchestra to Jerusalem to perform a special rendition of the St. Matthew Passion oratorio. However, an ominous fax message he receives prior to departing forces him to re-evaluate his life, curiously thrusting his whole orchestra under the spotlight, questioning the very values we live by and the invisible bonds that shape our lives.

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Iranian filmmaker Khosro Masoumi’s Bear won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Feature Film at the 15th Shanghai International Film Festival. This is Masoumi’s second Golden goblet after he won it in 2004 for Tradition of Lover Killing.

Canadian filmmaker Micheline Lanctot’s For the Love of God won the Jury Grand Prix. Chinese filmmaker Gao Qunshu was awarded Best Director for his thriller Beijing Blues.

Japanese filmmaker Kenji Uchida won the Best Screenplay prize for Key Of Life.

Indian film Color of Sky by Dr.Biju Damodaran also competed for the Golden Goblet Award.

2012 Golden Goblet Awards

Best Film: Bear; dir. Khosro Masoumi [Iran]

Jury Prize: For the Love of God; dir. Micheline Lanctôt [Canada]

Best Director: Gao Qunshu for Beijing Blues [China]

Best Actor: Vladas Bagdonas for The Conductor [Russia]

Best Actress: Ursula Pruneda for The Dream of Lu [Mexico]

Best Screenplay: Uchida Kenji for Key of Life [Japan]

Best Cinematography: Shi Luan...