Tarkovsky said that children understood his films better than adults.After watching Ivan's Childhood, I can agree to some degree with that statement.Ivan's Childhood is not so much about war, but it's about the troubled mind of a child. Everything we learn about Ivan is unfolded in such a natural, innocent and sometimes harsh way. Many aspects of the behavior of a child is shown in Tarkovsky's first film. In one scene we see how the angry Ivan is disobedient to adults, in the next scene Ivan with tears in his eyes.Tarkovsky does a fantastic job portraying dreams (not as good as his later work, but still very immersive). Ivan sees the things that makes him happy in his dreams: his mother, his friends, him playing games, and him doing the unthinkable. While he's awake, he has to suffer. Not physical, but emotional.The director makes such a great balance between the dreams and the reality Ivan has to face. Nikolay Burlyaev has got to be one of the best child actors I have seen in my life. Together, these two managed to make a fantastic piece of art.

During World War II, 12-year old Ivan works as a spy on the eastern front. The small Ivan can cross the German lines unnoticed to collect information. Three Soviet officers try to take care of this boy-child.Tarkovsky may be better known for his science fiction films, especially "Stalker". But he is much more, as this early venture shows. A dark look at war, from the eyes of a child who lives among gunfire daily and is caught in the deadliest battles of the second world war -- between the Russians and the Germans.You might say "dark look at war" is redundant, but not so. Just think of "Life is Beautiful", for example, or "Underground". War can be funny is an absurd sense. There is nothing funny here, not even an ounce of comic relief. This is war, and a war that affects all ages.

And not just as a feature film debut, but Ivan's Childhood is a truly great film in its own right, and perhaps the most accessible of Tarkovsky's films(being his shortest and briskest). Tarkovsky is not at his absolute best here in the sense that his style was still settling and he went on to even better things(Andrei Rublev gets my vote as the greatest Soviet film ever made). This may sound like a knock but it isn't, even when Tarkovsky is not at his finest he is much better than most other directors when not at their best and Ivan's Childhood is still beautifully directed, up there with one of the better feature film directorial debuts.Tarkovsky's films are among the most visually beautiful I've ever seen and Ivan's Childhood is not an exception. The cinematography from Vadim Yusov is gorgeous and evokes chills, there is a dream-like quality to it but also a hard-edged realism. The use of landscapes is wonderfully Expressionistic, making the real-life sequences even more hard-hitting. The music score is haunting and the film is written in a thought-provoking way that wrenches the gut and breaks the heart. It isn't a Tarkovsky film without memorable scenes and images and Ivan's Childhood has those certainly, the dream sequences make the film(i.e. Ivan and his sister on the apple cart in the rain) but standing out too are the magical birch forest scene, the emotionally harrowing scene in the dark house and especially one of the most heart-breakingly powerful endings ever. What's remarkable is that while the story sounds simple, there are several characteristic Tarkovsky themes for so early on his career and when it comes to mood Ivan's Childhood works amazingly.Furthermore the story of Ivan's Childhood is incredibly touching, the childhood scenes are the epitome of innocence in a heartfelt, sometimes entertaining and charming way and in complete contrast(without feeling like two different films) the effect of the war and combat is both grotesque and poetic. The characters are interesting and vibrantly portrayed, although Masha is a little one-note for my tastes, Ivan is a compellingly real character who is easy to identify with from the get go. The acting is very good, outstanding in fact in the case of Nikolai(Kolya) Burlylaev who gives one of the best child performances I've ever seen on film. Overall, for a directorial/feature film debut Ivan's Childhood is incredible and as an overall film it's near-masterpiece quality. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Andrei Tarkovsky's debut is full of surprises. It's not surprising in that it's excellent and is full of powerful storytelling, but in how direct it is. It's clear that this film influenced a lot of mainstream films in the ideas of a small force with lots of energy overcoming a large power, and it's incredibly effective in Ivan's Childhood, as his power and advantages are heartwarming, and often amusing. The highlight of the film is the astoundingly creative cinematography, with use of light and claustrophobic angles, it's full of kinetic energy that drives the film, shaping the surreal dreamscapes and jagged edges of the hyper-reality, with war scenes comparable to the scenes in Paths of Glory. Although it has dated melodramatic music, unnecessary subplots and some confusing sequences, it's a very entrancing and inspiring film. It definitely shoots Tarkovsky high in my directors list as I've only got The Sacrifice left. Pretty perfect career. 8/10