Coward

1917. Pierre arrives at the front as a new soldier, driven to prove himself in battle. Behind the lines, he meets Francis, who tries to keep the troops' morale high with improvised shows. While the war rages on relentlessly, both try to escape reality, if only for a moment. Commentaar Hou hold on to the branches of the trees, because Coward promises to blow an absolute storm through the (Flemish) film landscape. Na Girl (2018) and Close (2022) saw Lukas Dhont make a strong impression again with his third feature film at the Cannes Film Festival, where his two lead actors also shared the award for Beste Acteur. Coward is a Belgian WWI film like you have never seen one before, with an eye for the misery, but also for the love and camaraderie behind the lines, and the redemption that art can bring in dark times. The film is meanwhile also officially the Belgian entry for the Oscars, and has a very strong chance of actually ending up on the famous shortlist for Beste Buitenlandse Film.