Andrew Towne "For a Lost Soldier" is a beautifully filmed movie, and the actors did very well with what they had.What the two leading actors had, unfortunately, was a script that did not give their characters any motivation for falling in love.There is not a single point in this movie where one finds any reason for the love between the young boy and the Canadian soldier.The soldier doesn't rescue the boy's dog, protect the boy from an abusive father, or do anything else that might earn the boy's affection and loyalty (I am making these possible motives up; there is no dog or abusive father in the movie.) One minute the boy and the soldier are noticing at each other; the next minute they are friends, and well on their way to being lovers.I find this especially disappointing, because it is slick Hollywood films that are supposed to be superficial, not "sophisticated" European films like this one. But I could name any number of lesser known, recent Hollywood movies that have more depth. I could even name quite a few HBO movies and "after-school specials." In the end, one must be satisfied with aspects of the film that have little to do with the relationship between the two main characters.One thing I found very interesting in this movie was the religious piety and devotion of the Dutch people who lived in rural areas -- a real contrast to the secular orientation of Dutch urban life today.Is there a schism between country and city today when it comes to religion (and related social values) in Holland? I also found it touching that the Dutch family that took in the boy treated him so warmly, then asked for no thanks because they had only been doing their duty.

superstition2 Parts of this film are weak (the dance studio scenes in particular), and it failed to have much of an impact overall. Despite this, it is worth watching, not only because of the beauty of the soldier, but because of the picturesqueness of the landscape and family life in the protagonist's memory.One strength of the film is the avoidance of stridency. Hollywood films tend to exaggerate everything for dramatic effect, and it's a refreshing change here to be free from that. I particularly liked the stepfather's attitude toward their relationship—that's life. That theme pervades the film, and while it makes it a bit milquetoast, it also avoids the soap opera plus cartoon style Hollywood film-making tone.Someone here wrote:"And yet, the fact that the boy never got over the love of that man suggests the inherent imbalance in that type of relationship. Do you think the soldier went through the rest of his life trying to find the boy?"I'd never get over a guy that beautiful myself, no matter how old I was when I was with him! Actually, when I was about twenty-three, I spent a weekend with a graduate student and he was so gorgeous that I have never completely gotten over him. If had been really young and had been with someone like him, the desire would have probably been even more intense, though. When I was that age of the protagonist in the film, I definitely wished for a relationship and wouldn't have turned down a guy like that solider.

colinirwin1 Fantastic film.Shows EXACTLY what boys of that age go through,the feelings of puberty.All boys feel some kind of feeling for someone of the same sex at that age,even if they are not prepared to admit it.This film dealt with this issue like it is.It showed how some boys never forget their first feeling of "love" and some move on.The boy in the film never forgot his and lived with it all his life.It is an outrage that Walt,the object of the young boys feelings in the film,was seen as some kind of "peado".He never encouraged the relationship as the boy,Jerome, later admits in the book he wrote many years later on which the film is based.This film had all the right emotions for that time.1945.The soldier away from home in a strange land meeting the boy going through puberty.A lovely,lovely film and very well acted and directed.

robert-arbon 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.