Voor een verloren soldaat (1992)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Roeland Kerbosch

Writers:

Don Bloch (writer)
Rudi van Dantzig (novel)

Release Date:

7 May 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

The story of a romantic relationship between a grown-up and a child. Set in the Netherlands near the end of WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Netherlands | Canadian | WWII | Female Nudity | Pederasty

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maarten Smit	...	Jeroen Boman
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Jeroen Boman (adult)
Andrew Kelley	...	Walt Cook
Freark Smink	...	Hait
Elsje de Wijn	...	Mem
Derk-Jan Kroon	...	Jan
Wiendelt Hooijer	...	Henk
Iris Misset	...	Bonden
Gineke de Jager	...	Elly
Tatum Dagelet	...	Gertie
Marie-José Kouwenhoven	...	Renske
Valerie Valentine	...	Laura
William Sutton	...	Chuck
Andrew Butling	...	Buikspreker
Andrew Cassani	...	Winslow

Also Known As:

For a Lost Soldier

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | UK:18 (cut)

Company:

AVRO Television

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Although the story takes place during World War II, the backdrop set used in the show that the Canadian soldiers put on for the townspeople features a red-and-white maple leaf Canadian flag, not adopted until the 1960s.

A thought provoking film - and a very sensitive subject

A haunting film, sympathetically tackled from the child's perspective. It seems that there are large (and probably important) sections of the book which are not covered in the film. It is difficult, therefore, to completely understand Jeroen's feelings for his 'buddy'.

Whilst the boy's distance from his parents (mother only?) as an evacuee is clear early on there would appear to be a loneliness which is not truly explored. Jeroen gains some attachment to the (father) man of the house whilst appearing alienated from the children (especially the son) and the youngsters evacuated with him.

One is left with the impression that this is a genuine love and true friendship (which both protagonists need - they are both a distance from their families after all) between a boy and a young man and there is no sense of the 'darker side' of how that relationship was initiated by the older of the two - albeit the one muted sex scene would not have been shown in a UK-made film I am sure.

The man does not handle his departure well. If he truly cared for the boy then he certainly did not prepare him for the loss which impacted the rest of Jeroen's life.

I would like to read the book - but there appear to be only two in the world for sale at extortionate prices. This film needs a sympathetic viewing from those whose own lives may mirror some of the events in some way.