Lukas Dhont returns with "Coward," a World War I drama that examines forbidden desire between soldiers with the formal precision and emotional restraint that defines his filmmaking. The Belgian director, known for "Girl" and "Close," constructs another study in queer repression, this time set against the trenches and barracks of wartime.
The film channels its energy into visual spectacle, capturing both the brutality of combat and the intimacy of clandestine moments with cinematographic grace. Dhont's aesthetic remains consistent: carefully composed frames, measured pacing, and characters who struggle to articulate what they cannot openly acknowledge. The performances between the soldiers carry weight despite the restraint that governs their interactions.
Yet the film's decorum works against its emotional impact. Dhont has built a reputation on exploring queer pain and self-suppression, but "Coward" feels familiar in its thematic territory. The repression-and-yearning formula, executed with technical mastery, begins to feel prescribed rather than revelatory. Where the film excels visually, it sometimes falters in the emotional register that might truly move audiences.
The WWI setting offers fresh context for examining how historical circumstances intensify already-constrained desire. Soldiers bound by duty, survival, and military codes face an additional layer of prohibition. Dhont extracts drama from this collision of forces, though whether he adds genuine new insight remains debatable.
"Coward" represents Dhont's most confident visual work to date. His command of the medium is undeniable. The film argues convincingly through image and composition what its characters cannot say aloud. Still, technical mastery and thematic familiarity do not always align with the capacity to break through emotional barriers and reach viewers on a deeper level. The film satisfies as cinema while leaving the heart somewhat untouched.