Highlights

LES BRAVES

Coward

Swiss Premiere

Lukas Dhont

Belgium, France, Netherlands

2026, 120'

Genre

MUSICAL

Recommended Age

12 years

VO. French, Dutch

ST. French

With

Valentin Campagne, Emmanuel Macchia

In 1916, two soldiers in the Belgian army begin to develop feelings for one another while performing in musical productions. The two lead actors won the Best Actor Award at Cannes this year.

Already acclaimed for the moving Girl (2018) and Close (2022), Belgian director and screenwriter Lukas Dhont infuses the war film genre with his characteristic sensitivity. In Coward, he tells the story of the encounter between the taciturn Pierre and the spirited Francis, two World War I soldiers brilliantly portrayed by Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, both of whom have won awards for their performances. Relegated to the rear of the trenches, the young men help create a theatrical revue aimed at boosting the troops’ morale. Soon, Pierre finds himself drawn to Francis. Coward offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the battlefield and its forgotten figures; from artistic performances to the birth of desire, this film reveals these beacons of light amid the darkness of war.

Damien Brodard

Direction

Lukas Dhont

Screenplay

Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens

Image

Frank van den Eeden

Editing

Alain Dessauvage

Music

Valentin Hadjadj

Sound

Yanna Soentjens