Director: Lukas Dhont
Writers: Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens
Stars: Valentin Campagne, Emmanuel Macchia, William De Schryver
Synopsis: Pierre, a young Belgian soldier wants to prove himself on the battlefield during the First World War. Behind the frontlines, he meets Francis, who is asked to find a way to boost morale.
You’re not exactly devoid of choice if you’re looking for a movie that pays tribute to the sacrifice of brave young soldiers in World War I. One thing is for sure, though: you’d be hard-pressed to find a movie centered around war with as much heart as Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont’s latest turn, Coward, which delves deeply into the complex emotions of courage, bravery, and cowardice, all through the lens of a forbidden love on the battlefield.
Set in 1917 on the Belgian front lines, Coward follows Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), seemingly just another young man drafted into the endless meat grinder of one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. There, he meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), the flamboyant leader of a band of “rejects,” a group of soldiers deemed unfit for battle but still drafted in to provide theatrical entertainment for their battle-weary comrades.
Pierre, despite being captivated by Francis and the dramatics, is resistant at first and remains committed to his duties as a soldier. Francis, however, has no such problem being immediately drawn in by the handsome new face around camp. From there, despite all the madness surrounding them, a forbidden romance begins to flourish. Their relationship soon feels like the only sane thing in an otherwise chaotic world, resulting in Pierre facing what could become a life-and-death decision over whether to continue it.
For a movie like Coward to work, the romance could never feel forced. In that regard, Dhont and fellow writer Angelo Tijssens’ original screenplay really excels. They allow the relationship between Pierre and Francis to naturally develop across the first half, creating the sense that every moment they share becomes increasingly precious as the walls between them slowly begin to come down.
Despite the love taking place over a condensed timeline, it never feels rushed. Each scene they share feels like a carefully placed building block as they both begin to discover emotions they’ve never experienced for another man before. At the same time, you can see the pair wrestling with the moral dilemma of such a relationship and the internal pressures that come with it. Those feelings begin to affect their ability to carry out their duties while forcing them to consider just how far they would be willing to go for one another.
Undoubtedly, the performances of Macchia and Campagne are what make this relationship work. Macchia, in his first film role, is often forced to be quiet in terms of dialogue but does a remarkable job with his facial acting, allowing audiences to connect with his feelings almost instantly. As the film progresses, you get a genuine sense of the internal conflict he’s wrestling with beginning to consume him. You feel every bit of pain he’s going through, which is a real testament to the strength of this debut performance and provides a glimpse into what will surely be a long and successful career.
Campagne, on the other hand, is asked to be much more outgoing and flamboyant, and that’s a challenge he rises to fantastically. Despite the facade he puts on, you can tell there’s a deep sense of pain underneath it all. Performing becomes a personal escape, but also something that feels necessary to give his fellow soldiers a brief moment of respite from everything surrounding them. It’s a demanding role given the complexities of the character, but one Campagne rises to brilliantly.
Together, though, their chemistry is electric. So much rests on their shoulders to make the audience believe in this forbidden love and that the pair would be willing to risk their lives for one another. The quality of their performances ensures that not for a single second does it feel like these two don’t belong together. From the minute they begin to share the screen, it feels like a fairytale romance, and in those fleeting moments of alone time, their connection becomes the only thing that matters.
It’s evident from the outset just how much research Dhont has put into every detail behind the making of Coward. As a veteran myself, the element that stood out most was the authentic bond and camaraderie between the soldiers that Dhont has been able to capture. It’s something that remains sacred to those who have experienced it during a deployment. It’s a connection unlike any other, one that is difficult to explain with words and remains largely unspoken, yet somehow Dhont has managed to wonderfully capture the realism of it throughout.
Equally striking is Dhont’s depiction of the war. While combat never threatens to take center stage, the devastation is captured in much more subtle and hard-hitting ways. Most notably, it can be seen in the faces of the rookies, who arrive filled with hope and a sense of purpose that they are going to make a difference. As the runtime progresses, you see the trauma begin to grip them more and more until their transformation becomes haunting.
The sound design from Yanna Soentjens is another standout addition that sends shivers down your spine. The screams of anguish from soldiers dealing with horrific injuries reverberate to your core, conveying the dread and fear that completely consumes them in their final moments. While these scenes never take center stage, they constantly lurk in the background, ensuring audiences remain fully aware of the torturous environment these young men are forced to operate in.
Valentin Hadjadj’s score is another memorable element that, while providing some of the film’s more uplifting moments, never loses sight of everything unfolding around the soldiers. The musical numbers feel meticulously researched and contain some genuinely affecting lyrics that will ensure audiences need to pack some tissues for the inevitable tears. The choreography accompanying these sequences is also a joy to behold, with one particular scene inside a bomb crater standing as one of the most compelling things put to screen this year.
Coward is far from your ordinary war film. While still highlighting the atrocities of war and the death and anguish these soldiers are forced to endure, its intimate exploration of the bravery and cowardice of the men on the front lines is allowed to take center stage. The result is one of the most poignant films within the genre in recent memory. Thanks to some terrific writing, direction, and two deeply affecting performances at its center, Coward will move audiences to their cores and become a film you think about long after the final credits have begun to roll.
