Coward

As WWI drags on, young soldier Pierre, newly arrived at the front, is eager to prove himself. Behind the lines he meets Francis, who decides to lift his comrades’ spirits by putting together a theater show. Both men search for ways to escape the brutality of war as the violence around them continues – and slowly, surprisingly, they find love, if only for a moment.

This is the latest from director Lukas Dhont, whose last film Close won the Grand Prix at Cannes and was nominated for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards. Coward, Belgium’s official submission to the 2027 Oscars, is a beautiful and epic war film crossed with a swoon-worthy forbidden romance.