Wonderful character development!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Having lived and worked in the Netherlands and knowing its language, I have been interested in the Dutch cinema as well, particularly if Rutger Hauer or Jeroen Krabbé present. There have lots of films on the WWII been made, nicely versatile ones, as the period was one of the most painful and complex in the country's history. Thus, I was eager to learn how the war era was made compatible with such a sensitive topic like man-boy relationship.But the latter was not much visible in Voor een verloren soldaat (perhaps in the autobiographical novel of the same title - I have not read that); it was even not clearly visible if there was some mutual erotics at all. What we saw was a 20+ years foreign soldier acting as a caring mentor, showing a boy far from home and family new angles of life; besides, I do not believe that showing affection towards a boy would have been normally accepted by both the religious Dutchmen and militant Canadians in those days...Anyway, the mood in the film is pleasant, performances realistic, and viewers obtain a nice overview of Friesland under slackening Nazi occupation. But do not try to find any sensationalism, as mentioned, it is a good depiction of friendship - with some affection - during a war period when many things and deeds are perceived in another way.

My deep and heartfelt gratitude to the makers of the film and the actors:superbly done! What makes this film really UNIQUE among others of the same genre ( friendship between an adult and a teenager) is the sense of MEASURE and TACTFULNESS.Not for a moment do the viewers believe that there might be something 'dirty' about the relationship of a grown-up soldier and a boy of thirteen.And not for a moment does the film descend to the level of cheap sentimentality.Bravo!It shows love,true love (which is proved by the later recollections of the older Jeroen)that never ends, and that the boy can be proud of. I am an American and am ashamed to admit that such a film is a 'mission impossible' for my compatriot film makers to accomplish,the feat they would never have guts to do: we still live in the Middle Ages of Political Correctness Holy Inquisition.How sad...

I knew beforehand that the movie was about the romance between an adult and child, however, I was surprised how well the movie presented the topic. The movie offered fresh insight into situations where the child played a role in instigating the relationship. Jerome was not like the other boys in the movie, and was just as curious as anyone one else at his age. While forced or coerced pedophilia are inappropriate, situations where the child has inclinations towards their sexuality leading to situations like these often might create lasting fond memories.I find it hard to believe this movie was released over fourteen years ago when it would still be hard pressed to enter production here in the United States. Lastly, I thought the relationship between Jerome and the soldier was longer than a few days as some suggested in the comments. It seemed to me like they were they there for a few weeks and their friendship gradually turned into something more. (Edit: The brown spots left by their tents is more proof they stayed more than a few days) Additionally, while some have commented that the soldier left without telling Jerome is indication that he took advantage of the child, I think he left without telling to spare Jerome and himself some heartache. I felt it was appropriate considering their relationship was extremely unorthodox and therefore they could not say their goodbyes in a similar fashion to their peers.

Loosely based on the autobiography of Rudi van Danzi, FOR A LOST SOLIDER tells the story of a Dutch boy's emotional and sexual relationship with a young adult American solider during World War II. The film presents the relationship as a loving and often magical one--and asks the viewer to consider if such relationships are intrinsically abusive or if they might, in extraordinary instances, have validity and even integrity.It should be very obvious that the subject and issues raised are likely to provoke a knee-jerk reaction in most people--but even so, FOR A LOST SOLDIER has remarkable delicacy. The film is not explotational in any way, it is beautifully acted and filmed, and the difficult material is handled by the director, writer, and cinematographer with considerable grace.All of this said, however, the film is so careful to avoid the obvious pitfalls that in some respects it fails to make any significant statement. What ultimately emerges is a memory--the film is presented as an extended flashback--but exactly how that memory reverberates in present time is vaguely expressed at best. And while the film does not consider this particular relationship to be deliberately abusive, it begs but never answers the question of intrinsic abusive, leaving the viewer to do battle with that knotty issue entirely on their own.Those who watch FOR A LOST SOLIDER thoughtfully and with an open mind will find it forces them to define their own ideas about what is and is not abusive. This may actually be point of the film, to motivate an examination of personal values--but if so it is a point made by a very, at times almost impossibly indirect implication. Recommended for sophisticated viewers, but even they are more likely to find it more problematic than substantial.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer