Ivan's Childhood
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Produced by Mosfilm
A poetic, melancholic portrait of childhood lost to war, told through dreamlike sequences and intimate bonds forged in darkness.
In WW2, twelve year old Soviet orphan Ivan Bondarev works for the Soviet army as a scout behind the German lines and strikes a friendship with three sympathetic Soviet officers.
Clusters
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is Ivan's Childhood sad? Yes, very. More sad than 96% of films.
Is Ivan's Childhood one of a kind? Yes. More singular than 88% of films.
Is Ivan's Childhood scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 72% of films.
Does Ivan's Childhood end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 70% of films.
Is Ivan's Childhood violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
Is Ivan's Childhood easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Written about
Cinnamon Score
How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
There is almost nothing else like this.
How unlike any other film this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like Ivan's Childhood, and what each one shares →
Like Ivan's Childhood
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as Ivan's Childhood
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like Ivan's Childhood, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like Ivan's Childhood, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like Ivan's Childhood, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
