Review of For a Lost Soldier (1992) by Rich B — 18 Jul 2004

For a Lost Soldier (1992) ? When I see ?Strand Releasing? in the opening credits of a movie, it means I?m in for a rough ride. This motion picture company is no stranger to difficult topics. In ?For a Lost Soldier?, a 12 year-old boy, escaping Nazi tyranny by fleeing Amsterdam into the Netherlands, is kept by a sympathizer family as the war drags on. The boy has gay tendencies, but doesn?t realize them until a Canadian solider, more interested in boys than girls, makes friends with him during the liberation of Netherlands. Eventually, the soldier takes advantage of the boy, who has fallen in love with the soldier. One day, the soldier abruptly leaves, breaking the kid?s heart. Years and years later, the kid is an adult (Joroen Krabbe) directing a small ballet company, but the pain of that separation still haunts him. In the end, the movie attempts to resolve his pain into a powerful, new beginning. That, apparently, was lost in the translation.

It is a powerful film. A tolerant "foster" father is the most remarkable character in the film. This is director Roeland Kerbosch?s only film, and that?s a shame. I sometimes wonder when I see these great little films and then the guy disappears. Was it his story? The kids never surface again, either, despite strong performances.