Lukas Dhont is quickly becoming one of the premiere queer directors in the film landscape. Following a strong debut (2017’s Girl) and his emotionally devastating sophomore feature (2022’s Close), the latter of which landed him an Oscar nomination in the Best International Picture category, his latest, Coward, begins a gradual rollout following its debut at Cannes earlier this year, scooping a joint Best Actor win for its two leads, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne.
In 1916 on the Belgian Front, a troop designated with keeping morale high leads to an encounter between two soldiers - Pierre and Francis - that will change them both forever. With a cast starring mostly newcomers and breakthrough talent, Coward smartly juxtaposes the harrowing brutality of war with the tenderness of the love story that develops in the trenches, in this beautifully textured effort told from a unique perspective that speaks of cowardice, sacrifice and the heroism.
Placing as much attention on the physical as the psychological, Dhont’s directs Coward with exceptional balance, exploring the traumatic and deeply visceral scenes on the frontline with a sensuality that swells beneath the surface before evolving as the film progresses. Cinematographer Frank van der Eeden finds the tender in each and every moment, and it aches through every frame – from the sequences of friendship where the camaraderie between the soldiers contextualises their brotherhood as fundamental to their survival, to the moments of intimacy and desire shared between Pierre and Francis, shot with bracing sincerity and rich with longing that comes as a consequence of their circumstance. Alongside Valentin Hadjadj’s excellent score, and the well-executed soundscape that immerses viewers in both the horrifying and the heartfelt, Dhont builds a textured world that never loses its urgency as it weaves between its two halves.
It really is staggering that both Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne are at such an early stage in their acting career respectively, with the former registering his feature film debut with his Coward performance. Both deliver work beyond their years in regards to the sensitivity and subtlety with which they render their turns, imbuing an extraordinary chemistry in often wordless exchanges, capturing lust, desire and overwhelming emotion of finding love in such an impossible situation. Dhont and collaborator Angelo Tijssens' screenplay does a remarkable job of building their relationship gradually and with a guard that is to be expected in such an unforgiving environment. Even when the ‘overcoming society's judgement’ narrative beats play a little familiarly, you have become so involved with these characters that it never detracts from the emotion they have stirred within you, a major credit to both Macchia and Campagne for their stirring, wonderful work.
As effective a war film as it is a romance, Coward is an exquisitely directed, emotionally powerful and altogether fantastic triumph that offers a unique perspective within the genre to deeply moving and surprisingly sensual results. Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne launch themselves into the upper echelons of upcoming talent with two tremendous and sensitively depicted performances, while Lukas Dhont further cements himself as one of the most impressive directors of his generation with another home run thanks to his tender yet unflinching approach. Undoubtedly one of the year's best films, Coward is another entry in this stellar year for queer cinema.