littleboylostt Review of For a Lost Soldier

For a Lost Soldier (1992)

Good film, with many poignant moments but I wish I read the book before I watched it.

[7/10 · 29 April 2017]

Sadly the film has little correlation with the book which is why I wish I read it before watching the film. Hell, I might not have watched the film at all. The film is extremely thought provoking and leaves you open to make the decision yourself about whether the relationship was exploitative in anyway, the book however is a direct, honest account of the sexual and sometimes emotional abuse of a child. One example in the film is one scene where Jeroen (the boy) takes a photo of Walt (the soldier) and puts it in his shirt pocket whilst Walt sleeps but in the book its in fact Walt who gives it to Jeroen. The title though 'For a lost soldier' in my perspective seems as if the boy (now adult of course) never held any malice towards the soldier as an adult. Its extremely complex and hard to understand, What is clear to understand though is both the soldier & the boy were extremely isolated from normality which is possibly what drove them together, In a way both of them were vulnerable, one fighting in a war and the other a confused and lonely boy away from home stuck in an uncertain war. Not an easy watch/read by any means and its not hard to forget either, but its worth having a look. It requires an open mind and people who can handle following troublesome subjects. I'd recommend reading the book first and then moving onto the film.