Ivan's Childhood - Ivanovo Detstvo (1962) (s/w, Criterion Collection)

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Andrei Tarkovsky's debut feature is an extraordinarily moving and powerful story of war and revenge. Determined to avenge his family's death at the hands of the Nazis, 12 year-old Ivan joins a Russian partisan regiment as a scout, where he becomes indispensable for his ability to slip unnoticed behind enemy lines. But, as his missions become increasingly dangerous, it is decided that he must be removed from the front line. Ivan resists and convinces his commanding officers to allow him to carry out one last expedition.

The great Andrei Tarkovsky`s debut feature, Ivan`s Childhood (Ivanovo Detstvo), is an evocative, poetic journey through the shadows and shards of a boy`s war-torn youth. Moving back and forth between the traumatic realities of World War II and serene moments of family life before the conflict began, Tarkovsky`s film remains one of the most jarring and unforgettable depictions of the impact of violence on children in wartime.