Review by Raymond Murray
By: Raymond Murray
In-House Review - Dec 21 2011
The explosive subject of man-boy love is delicately handled in this touchingly romantic drama of a boy's coming-of-age during WWII. Jeroen, a rosy-cheeked boy of 13 is sent to the countryside to stay with a farming family in order to avoid the war an...
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The explosive subject of man-boy love is delicately handled in this touchingly romantic drama of a boy's coming-of-age during WWII. Jeroen, a rosy-cheeked boy of 13 is sent to the countryside to stay with a farming family in order to avoid the war and food shortages. It is there that his adolescent urges for those of his own sex begins to take hold. Initially interested in his girl-crazy best friend, Jeroen finds his true love with the older Walt, a handsome Canadian soldier stationed in the area as part of the Liberation .
It is love-at-first-sight for the two who, undeterred by their language barrier, develop a friendship that later develops into a full-blown love affair. Their one lovemaking scene in which Walt calls Jeroen 'his little prince' is achingly romantic and sexually intense. And while the film isn't sexually graphic, it may shock with its cavalier, naturalistic view towards their tender love.
Kind of a gay version of Summer of '42, this wonderful love story never feels the need to even mention homosexuality nor offer the typical warnings or tragic aftereffects of such an affair. Jeroen Krabbe is featured as the now adult Jeroen who frames the story at the beginning and end as a nostalgic reminiscence for his first and greatest love. (Dutch with English subtitles)
Review by gbelly
By: gbelly
A favorite of mine for 20 years!
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
"FOR A LOST SOLDIER"
A Tough Call
Amos Lassen
When I first saw "For a Lost Soldier" (Strand Releasing) several years ago I found it shocking so I decided it was time t revisit it now and see where it fits in the canon of gay film. I w...
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"FOR A LOST SOLDIER"
A Tough Call
Amos Lassen
When I first saw "For a Lost Soldier" (Strand Releasing) several years ago I found it shocking so I decided it was time t revisit it now and see where it fits in the canon of gay film. I was still somewhat shocked by it but I will say that it is a beautiful, engrossing and somewhat shocking film. In the movie a twelve year old boy who escapes from the tyranny of Nazism in the Netherlands finds himself be taken care of by s sympathetic family. The boy has gay tendencies but is not aware of them until he meets a Canadian soldier who is gay. They become friends despite a considerable age difference and the soldier uses the boy sexually while the boy, in turn, falls in love with the soldier. When the soldier leaves abruptly, the boy's heart is broken. The pain of that separation haunts the kid through his adult life and as the movie attempts to show the healing of the pain, we find how sympathetic we are.
The best word to describe this film is "powerful". Yes, the subject matter is shocking but actually it is more than just shocking. It becomes powerful in the hands of an extremely skilled director, Roeland Kerbosch, and what a shame that this is his only film.
The film is loosely based on the true events of the life of Rudi van Danzi and it presents the sexual and emotional awakening of a young Dutch boy as he engages in a sexual relationship with a soldier during WWII. Their relationship seems to be a loving one and at times it even appears magical. This causes the question to arise---can a relationship based upon two people with such an age difference actually have validity and integrity or they abusive?
The film is sure to cause a "kick in the stomach" reaction by the majority of people but even with this happening the film is remarkably delicate and beautiful. It no way does it exploit or preach. It is beautifully acted and photographed and the sensitive material is handled with grace and compassion. The film avoids the common pitfalls and because it is so carefully handled it avoids reaching a logical conclusion. The film is a memory which echoes the present time and it is obvious that the film does not consider the relationship to be abusive in any way; the viewer has to make that decision himself.
If the movie is viewed with an open mind, those that see it will find that it them to define in their own minds what is considered abusive and this is undoubtedly what the film aims to do-the viewer must argue with himself on an issue that is considered largely taboo in the modern world.
The film will , without question, be seen by some who will consider it perverted but in reality I found it, although shocking, to be heartwarming and a sympathetic view of youthful homosexuality, There is no mention of child abuse and the love affair between the thirteen young boy is handled sensitively and with great frankness. In fact, it is the young boy who seems to be pursuing the older man. The film is never vulgar or sensational and the actual sexual coupling of the two males is surrounded by sub-plots and there are many references to sexual tensions.
The question which remains is whether or not a mere child can have consent ional sex with an adult. There is, of course, the idea that since the soldiers were protecting us and making the world safe that they were allowed to do whatever they wanted. The real problem, as it appears to me, is for most adult males, a love affair of a few days cannot be truly considered as "love" yet for a child whose innocence is lost forever, and this is an affair that will never be forgotten.
Nonetheless, the subject is handled beautifully and with great tenderness. This film is highly recommended as one that will make you think and re-examine yourself and after all, is that not what a really good movie does?
Review by Eyes open
By: Eyes open
As well acted and touching a story can be done the simple matter of fact is that this was a story of child . It isn't high art and anyone who thinks it is just to full of themselves to see clearly.
Review by Janorm
By: Janorm
This story line by far has to be ranked as the most controversial yet so charged with emotional love as to set the audience into a state of total emotive and emotional frenzy. Words cannot adequately describe the feelings of this film! One has to w...
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This story line by far has to be ranked as the most controversial yet so charged with emotional love as to set the audience into a state of total emotive and emotional frenzy. Words cannot adequately describe the feelings of this film! One has to witness it in order to believe it! The work ranks with Broke Back Mountain as one of the true Classics of the Gay Cinema!! DO NOT MISS IT!!!
Review by Adam
By: Adam
I read the book that this movie is based on when I was 16 in high school. It moved me in so many ways...I cannot remember the author but the name of the book is "A Damned Strong Love" It was in my high schools library which surprised me....so when ...
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I read the book that this movie is based on when I was 16 in high school. It moved me in so many ways...I cannot remember the author but the name of the book is "A Damned Strong Love" It was in my high schools library which surprised me....so when I saw this movie I knew I had to have it....It is a very touching film. One must understand that things were different in that time period and region...not everything is based on America's viewpoints and standards. People married at that age back then whether we view it as wrong or not....beautiful beautiful movie.
Review by viento
By: viento
While some people will be put off by the relationship, it is clear that the boy truly loved the soldier and vice versa. Some people have a hard time accepting that a young boy of his age can feel so strongly, but the movie never left me in doubt of ...
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While some people will be put off by the relationship, it is clear that the boy truly loved the soldier and vice versa. Some people have a hard time accepting that a young boy of his age can feel so strongly, but the movie never left me in doubt of that. I appreciated how delicately the matter was handled. While some reviews I read on other sites did not like the ending, I enjoyed it from an artistic viewpoint. The director leaves the viewer to work some things out for themselves and to really come up with their own ending, a touch that made an endearing movie that much better.
Review by Pabby
By: Pabby
It seems that in America one must follow the crowd. For a so-called open country we are more extremely close-minded. When I have been in other countries (Germany and France) I have noticed the lack of censure that is so prevalent in USA!
This mo...
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It seems that in America one must follow the crowd. For a so-called open country we are more extremely close-minded. When I have been in other countries (Germany and France) I have noticed the lack of censure that is so prevalent in USA!
This movie is well-acted and the cinematography is very natural. The subject matter, as mentioned in the one long review, is easy to understand for those of us who came out around the age of twelve or thirteen. At my present age (74 - I was born in 1930) I see we have not matured at all. The story is beautifully told and handled with a great deal of sensitivity.
Review by Once_A_Boy_Too
By: Once_A_Boy_Too
To dismiss this wonderful, touching movie as "strictly for pedophiles" is to miss the whole point of the film. This picture brought me back to when I was 13 and becoming aware of my own sexuality. I remember now, some 35 years later, that at 13 I a...
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To dismiss this wonderful, touching movie as "strictly for pedophiles" is to miss the whole point of the film. This picture brought me back to when I was 13 and becoming aware of my own sexuality. I remember now, some 35 years later, that at 13 I also wanted urgently to understand why I felt so different from other boys. In my longing to understand myself, I was desperate for any affection or even any imaginary sign of affection I could receive from an older guy. The boy in this film is not the "victim" of abuse ? he is clearly gay and seeking to understand himself, when he falls head over heals in love with a Canadian soldier who has arrived to liberate his town. The film opens years later, when as a successful choreographer, he struggles to guide a dance troupe through a ballet meant as a tribute to freedom. He suddenly finds the opportunity to articulate his feelings in his art when he returns for the funeral of man who was his benefactor during the war, the head of the family he stayed with during the Nazi occupation and later liberation. Traveling back to the place where he spent 1944-45, he relives the happy first love affair through his memories, and in so doing frees the emotions he has been trying to liberate within himself to finish his assignment. The balance of the story is told in flashback, and moved me in many ways. The young soldier who picks him out from the rest of the town, instinctively knowing the boy and he are "one of a kind" is exactly the sort of person I would have liked to find when I was 13 or 14. I must admit that the handsome soldier swept me off my feet as well, and I could certainly understand the happiness the boy felt at finding a "soul mate" so early in life. Besides feeling his joy at finally finding someone who understood him, the picture perfectly captured the deep sorrow the boy felt (and how I sympathized) when the soldiers went away. The delicate subject matter was handled with extreme taste and sensitivity. Only a gay person who came out in adolescence and ached for someone to love and understand them could possibly appreciate the beauty of this film. There is nothing "pedophilic" about it ? just the loss of innocence and the joy of first love. It is a beautiful film. I am not a , and have always been attracted to people my own age ? if there is a character in this film I could sexualize, it would be the soldier, not the boy. But the true ring of the situations and the sweet coming of age story set nostalgia off in me for my own adolescence that few other films could ever hope to equal. This film is NOT for pedophiles ? it's for people who want to look back longingly at their own first experience with love. I've watched it five times, and find something new in it with each viewing. Thank God the people are Europe understand these things better than we do, and are able to show the loss of innocence without judgment, shame or morbidity.
Review by Dolphin7
By: Dolphin7
Okay, I rented this one with some trepidation due to the subject matter. After watching this movie, I can see why some straight people think all gay men are pedophiles. A movie that celebrates the love between a thirteen year old and a man is prett...
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Okay, I rented this one with some trepidation due to the subject matter. After watching this movie, I can see why some straight people think all gay men are pedophiles. A movie that celebrates the love between a thirteen year old and a man is pretty sick. And, can't believe that this movie would actually rate so high in TLA's movie rankings!!