Lukas Dhont’s Coward is one of many films at TIFF this year that originally premiered at Cannes back in May. While many films have the Cannes/TIFF connection, very few can say they took home one of the main prizes at Cannes. Young co-leads Emmanuel Macchia (in his acting debut) and Valentin Campagne tied for Best Actor (ironically a coward’s decision if you ask me – I don’t believe in ties) in a very surprising result from France. 

Given the dual Best Actor win, I expected a much smaller film that follows the two characters intimately. The film delivers on this expectation at times, but not nearly as much as expected. Dhont’s junior feature centers on Pierre (Macchia), a green Belgian soldier during World War I, who struggles with the trials of war and tries to relate to his fellow soldiers. Early in his tenure on the Belgian front, he meets Francis (Campagne), an artistic and theatrical young man who captures Pierre’s attention almost immediately. Francis is tasked with gathering some of the men to put on shows to entertain the rest of the company, and after much hesitation, Pierre joins in to help. 

Their budding romance stands in stark contrast to their surroundings. Each day is a seemingly rotating task of hauling mortar shells, disposing of the deceased from both sides, and manning the trenches against enemies barely close enough to see. The makeup and production design are top-notch, casting a gritty, devastating shadow over the whole film. 

The sound design stood out to me most, which seems to be a trend in war films. It’s hard to put out a convincing depiction of war without nailing the sound of screaming, bombs, and gunfire. Coward’s sound felt visceral and grounded me in the story whenever I felt it was losing its grip. It’s hard to find anything negative to say about the craft behind the film, and I was pretty blown away by how real it felt. 

Macchia brings this quiet, soft power to the table that was honestly strange to see out of someone so new to acting. He’s rarely the driver of any scene, but works so well watching, listening, and reacting to those around him. In contrast, Campagne has charisma and commands the screen every second, except for the few moments he cedes control to Macchia. They get to a certain point about halfway through the film, and it seems like they stay there the rest of the way. There’s not much tension going into the final stretch. None of the other relationships build up enough to make up for it, leaving the audience wanting more when the credits roll. 

Where the film slightly loses me is with the main characters. Macchia and Campagne are absolutely lights out in their roles, but I felt like we were missing one more movement, or one more level, for Pierre and Francis.

While the characters are a little underbaked, I do think the movie’s themes resonate effectively. Between the romance and obvious implications of being a gay soldier during WWI, Dhont’s film portrays both the hopeless and pointless depravity that comes about in war. The enemies are rarely, if ever, seen, pitting this company against an invisible force of men who are in the same situation. One minute it’s calm and jovial; the next you’re being shelled as unspeakable horrors take place all around you. And for what? Patriotism? Most of these men don’t even understand what they’re fighting for, just that they are doing it for their country. As author Pierce Brown put it, “Death begets death begets death.” And that death trickles down to soldiers who will never meet the people who started this war and have little agency to end it. 

Coward has a lot of powerful, effective filmmaking to recommend, with top-of-the-line craft and impressive central performances, but ultimately is a few choices away from being a “great” feature. It’s already been selected as Belgium’s submission for Best International Feature for this awards cycle, so there will be more conversation to come on how it fits into the race. 

Review Courtesy of Cameron K. Ritter

Feature Image Courtesy of MUBI