For a Lost Soldier

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For a Lost Soldier Voor een verloren soldaat
For a Lost Soldier book cover
Directed by	Roeland Kerbosch
Produced by	Guurtje Buddenberg Matthijs van Heijningen
Written by	Don Bloch Roeland Kerbosch Rudi van Dantzig (novel)
Starring	Maarten Smit Jeroen Krabbé Andrew Kelley Freark Smink Elsje de Wijn
Music by	Joop Stokkermans
Cinematography	Nils Post
Editing by	August Verschueren
Distributed by	Malofilm Distribution Concorde Pictures
Release date(s)	22 May 1992
Running time	92 mins
Country	Netherlands
Language	Dutch English
IMDb profile

For a Lost Soldier (Voor Een Verloren Soldaat) is a 1992 Dutch movie after the autobiographical novel of the same title by ballet dancer and choreographer Rudi van Dantzig. It deals with the sexual relationship between a 12-year-old boy (Dantzig) and a Canadian soldier during the final spell of World War II.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

An adult Jeroen (Jeroen Krabbé) reminisces about the time in 1944 when he (Maarten Smit) and other children were sent to the countryside by their parents to remove them as far as possible from the war. The city also had food shortages, and more food was available in the country. He stays with an eel fisher's family, but despite the abundance of food, he is plagued by homesickness.

Things change when the village is liberated by Canadian troops. Jeroen meets Walt (Andrew Kelley), a Canadian soldier in his early twenties, who befriends him. The two spend a lot of time together, Jeroen getting taught how to drive a Jeep, among other things. Jeroen revels in the attention the soldier showers on him, and eventually their relationship turns sexual.

The foster parents notice the nature of the relationship between Jeroen and the soldier, but tolerate it, perhaps realizing that wartime love affairs of any kind with military personnel, whether homosexual or heterosexual, do not last.

After a few more days, Walt's troop gets orders to move and Walt leaves without saying goodbye to Jeroen. Jeroen is heartbroken, having only a photo to remind him of the soldier. He decides to go to America later in his life.