(Spoiler Alert)
For a Lost Soldier is a 1992 Dutch film based on the autobiographical novel by ballet dancer and choreographer Rudi van Dantzig. It tells a tender, quietly haunting story about the bond between Jeroen (Maarten Smit), a young boy from Amsterdam during World War II, and Walt (Andrew Kelley), a Canadian soldier who helped liberate the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.
When the Canadian troops arrive, Jeroen finds himself drawn to the young soldier. Walt, in turn, shows affection and interest in Jeroen, and their relationship gradually turns physical.
This is where the film enters more complicated—and at times uncomfortable—territory. Walt is clearly an adult, likely in his early twenties, while Jeroen is on the cusp of adolescence. It’s easy to view their relationship through a romanticized lens, especially as the film leans into nostalgia and longing. But there’s also an undeniable undercurrent of unease. Questions of consent, age, and power dynamics linger, and it’s hard to ignore the implications of what is, by today’s standards, statutory rape.
What I appreciated most about the film was its atmosphere and emotional resonance. The nostalgia Jeroen feels as he reflects on this chapter of his life is palpable. There’s a bittersweet ache in the way the story is told, and I found myself hoping, perhaps irrationally, for a reunion—sorry for the spoiler.
In the end, I was left wanting closure. But maybe that’s the point. Not every story has a neat or happy ending. Like the real-life Jeroen, we’re left yearning for a lost soldier who may never return.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Cast: Maarten Smit, Andrew Kelley
Director: Roeland Kerbosch
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