THE STORY – In 1916, during World War I, Pierre serves at the Belgian front alongside other comrades. Behind the trenches, the soldiers try to keep their spirits up. One day, Pierre meets the flamboyant Francis. To counter the rhetoric of war and the omnipresent misery, the two men decide, with their comrades, to put on a theatrical revue.
THE CAST – Emmanuel Macchia, Valentin Campagne & Jonas Wertz
THE TEAM – Lukas Dhont (Director/Writer) & Angelo Tijssens (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 120 minutes
What does it mean to be brave on the battlefield? What does it mean to be a coward? In typical films centered on soldiers at war, heroism is often perceived through acts of sacrifice and giving up a part of oneself. Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont subverts the cinematic sub-genre throughout his gorgeous film, “Coward,” a World War I story wherein some of the most heroic acts involve pushing beyond the fear of perceived cowardice and holding onto the truest parts of yourself. Following his incredibly tender feature, “Close,” Dhont returns to his touchstones of intimacy and pathos with historical context. “Coward” is a masterful exploration of sexuality and camaraderie, focused on male soldiers who fight to imagine the possibilities of life beyond the trenches. Through a loving lens and an excellent handle on subtext, “Coward” resonates in carefully crafted safe spaces, finding emotional power from the characters’ small windows of creative expression.
“Coward” begins with soldiers singing in unison, setting a precedent of energized camaraderie that runs through the film. The story follows Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), a young Belgian soldier eager to establish himself on the frontlines. Once there, he meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), a flamboyant fellow soldier who leads the comrades into an improvised set of theatrical performances. Francis asks Pierre to help build a stage, transforming a barn into a ballroom, and the rest is history. As frontline battles rage on, Pierre and Francis find sanctuary in theatrical forms, where they can express their queerness and experience what would become an everlasting romantic connection.
Pierre and Francis’ relationship blossoms in fleeting moments, making each interaction feel all the more precious, especially considering the urgent landscape. The condensed timeline of the two characters falling in love bears no limitations whatsoever on the storytelling. Dhont is focused on finding the most tender and emotionally revealing places for his camera to linger. He demonstrates an equal interest in how a scene feels and how it is staged, and as such, captures stunning moments of the characters’ inner dialogues in conversation with one another. In exploring this central relationship, the film also illuminates underrepresented queer perspectives on the First World War, speaking loosely to the real experiences of closeted gay soldiers whose love stories were so often forgotten.
Carrying the film with exquisite chemistry, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne deliver outstanding performances. From Macchia’s introduction, he holds a knowing look in his eyes that evokes a deeply woven internal conflict. It’s a look that intensifies as his character struggles to cope with the brutality of his surroundings, and softens when he connects with Francis. Macchia makes his film acting debut with this star-making role; it is an exciting indication of what should be a storied career ahead. Complementing the brooding sensitivity that Macchia brings to Pierre’s character, Campagne has an equally integral role as the comrade’s leading source of entertainment and escapism. Smiling and singing through pain, he brings forth a spirited energy underlined by pathos. There is a duality to how Francis provides solace through art, while also looking for solace in war. In this setting, he feels liberated because he would not be able to express himself so freely at home. Together, their shared journey defines the heart and soul of Dhont’s film. The characters’ relationship also dovetails to a stirring epilogue that radiates sensuality and poignancy. It’s a conclusion that will certainly reverberate for audiences well beyond the end credits.
The film also deftly visualizes moments born from a fear of cowardice, such as one of the soldiers reaching for a German helmet left behind on the frontlines, underlining his expression of bravery in this moment. Another tense sequence observes a group of soldiers crawling through muddied trenches in order to fix a set of wires. Dhont stays incredibly close to his subjects, maintaining their perspective from a grounded level and enhancing the palpable interconnectedness that keeps them together. Overall, the battlefield scenes showcase exceptional artistry on a technical front. Frank van den Eeden, Dhont’s frequent collaborator who worked on “Girl” and “Close,” crafts gorgeous cinematography, prioritizing the intimacy of any given moment. A scene of Pierre cutting his hand on the frontlines carries just as much emotional impact as Pierre sprinkling sawdust (a practical stand-in prop for snow) onto Francis’ head during a stage performance.
Additionally, Yanna Soentjens adds remarkable dimension through her sound work, which maintains the film’s immersive quality and keeps you locked into the harsh realities of its war-torn setting. A particularly haunting moment involves screams of agony while the soldiers perform at a hospital, chanting one for all and all for one. The film has an excellent sonic language throughout, complete with Valentin Hadjadj’s standout score, and the overall strong interspersing of musical elements with the soldiers’ performances. There is a compelling level of choreography to the musically-driven scenes that leaves a reverberating impact, and speaks to the significance of finding camaraderie through artistic endeavors.
From the theater-driven narrative to the intimate storytelling, “Coward” is a beautifully crafted film that explores how definitions of bravery and cowardice shift between perspectives. It can mean living and not living true to yourself, joining and not joining the frontlines to fight, imagining and not imagining the possibilities of a brighter future, embracing and not embracing vulnerability. Above all, it’s a sensitive piece of storytelling that reaches a place of hopefulness, not in light of the tough subject matter of war, but in spite of it.
