Ghent-based director Lukas Dhont’s third film has impressed crowds and critics alike at the world’s most prestigious film festival
The Dhont brothers – director Lukas and producer Michiel – were not planning to submit their new film to Cannes because it just wasn’t finished yet. But a few second thoughts and a very intense week later, they sent a first cut, and the festival put it in competition.
They must be glad now, as Coward, Lukas Dhont’s third feature film following Girl and Close, is already getting excellent reviews. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, which ended in a 13-minute standing ovation.
“People at Cannes are quick to applaud, but I still felt that they were looking at me with genuine enthusiasm,” said Dhont. “I think the applause was sincere.”
I’m hopeful for a future in which we can share more love than war
Lukas Dhont
The film is set during World War One, telling the story of young Belgian soldier Pierre, who meets fellow soldier Francis on the front line. Francis is putting together drag acts to raise morale, which works a charm. The two start a clandestine relationship.
Coward is based on real-life occurrences of soldiers performing acts for each other during the war. Following several emotional moments between Dhont and his cast, the director interrupted the applause to say a few words.
“Art has always been a place where I escape and where I find life again,” he said. “So to see that all these young men in that time of destruction and where they were meant to kill found a way out through art, was the biggest inspiration for me to make this film.”
Flanked by the film’s two stars, Valentin Campagne and first-time actor Emmanuel Macchia, he said that he was grateful to have met them. “They were a true inspiration and showed me that being a man can also mean vulnerability and tenderness. I’m hopeful when I look at them for a future in which we can share more love than war.”
Dhont dedicated the screening to Emilie Dequenne, the 43-year-old Belgian actor who died recently of cancer. She was one of the stars in his film Close. “She was with me through the whole making of this film,” he said.
Palme d’Or?
Early reviews for Coward have been largely positive, with Variety calling it Dhont’s “most satisfying film to date,” and Screen Daily saying: “The film follows the expected narrative beats of the repressed love story, although the two leads exude such a vulnerable, genuine rapport that it offsets the script’s potential predictability.” Deadline compares it to classic love stories like Casablanca and The Way We Were.
It remains to be seen if Coward will win the Palme d’Or; winners will be announced tomorrow night.