Cannes entry 'Coward' uncovers softer side of World War One, says director
Lukas Dhont’s film follows two Belgian soldiers whose hidden romance grows amid trench warfare and morale-boosting cross-dressing performances.
- Belgian director Lukas Dhont's WWI drama 'Coward' premiered Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, marking his second feature to compete for the festival's top prize.
- Inspired by archival photographs of WWI soldiers staging drag performances, Dhont crafted the narrative to explore queer identity against the brutal backdrop of the Western Front.
- The story follows Pierre , a farmer's son, and Francis , a tailor and showman, who find solace in a blossoming romance while staging theatrical shows for fellow troops.
- Critics have been broadly favorable toward the performances, with entertainment outlet Deadline pointing to Macchia as 'a fresh talent' who understands that 'great screen acting is in the eyes.'
- As one of 22 films vying for the top prize at Saturday's closing ceremony, 'Coward' challenges traditional notions of heroism by juxtaposing war's violence with tender, unspoken love.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The Belgian director Lukas Dhont, 34 years old, approaches World War I from a unique angle with "Coward". A great love story between two young soldiers who discover themselves through the theatre. After a very applauded official screening and on the eve of the list, he confided with TF1info. - With "Coward", Lukas Dhont signs the anti-war film in Cannes: "It takes courage to refuse to fight" (Culture, media and entertainment).
‘Coward’ Review: Lukas Dhont’s Study of the Gay Yearning Between Beautiful WWI Soldiers Is His Best Film Yet
"Coward' is yet another story of queer repression and suffering from the director of "Girl" and "Close," and it's often breathtaking, whether in battle or the bedroom, even if too decorous to really steal your heart away.
Third film and third presence in Cannes for Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont. Who staged, in "Coward", the encounter of two beautiful young men dreaming of love and grace in the horror of the Great WarIn two award-winning films in Cannes, Lukas Dhont imposed himself as one of the strongest voices of young European cinema. In Girl (2018, Golden Camera of the first film), he filmed the fight of a trans teenager to exist and impose in the ruthless env…
At the age of 20, the young Belgian made a number of starring debuts in the poster of Lukas Dhont's third feature film, unveiled on Thursday in Competition on the Croisette. ...
‘Coward’ Review: Lukas Dhont’s Queer WWI Romantic Drama Is A Heartbreaking Screen Love Story – Cannes Film Festival
A review of director Lukas Dhont's queer WWI romantic drama, Coward which explores the relationship of two young men as they try to survive war.
‘Coward’ Review: Lukas Dhont Brings His Signature Aching Sensuality to the War-is-Hell Genre, and Makes His Most Satisfying Film to Date
Lukas Dhont's third feature 'Coward' gracefully finding love in the most hopeless of places — the desolate battlefields of the First World War.
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