MUBI has acquired North American rights to Coward, the new film from Belgian director Lukas Dhont (Girl, Close). The World War I drama, which premiered at Cannes to strong reviews, explores queer love amid the horrors of trench warfare.
Dhont has quickly established himself as one of European cinema's most distinctive voices, particularly in stories about identity and intimacy. Girl examined a young trans dancer's journey, while Close devastatingly portrayed the rupture of a childhood friendship. Coward extends his interest in how external pressures shape - and often destroy - private emotional life.
The film follows two soldiers in the Belgian army whose romantic relationship must remain hidden amid the violence and scrutiny of military life. Period war films with explicitly queer narratives remain relatively rare, and early reports suggest Dhont handles both the historical context and emotional intimacy with his characteristic sensitivity.
MUBI's acquisition makes sense given their track record with prestige international cinema. They've successfully distributed films like Aftersun and Passages to audiences who might not otherwise encounter arthouse European filmmaking. Coward fits squarely in that wheelhouse - a formally accomplished film from a known director with clear thematic urgency.
The title itself is loaded. In wartime, "coward" is the ultimate condemnation - but Dhont reportedly uses it to question what courage actually means. Is it courage to charge into machine gun fire because someone ordered you to? Or is it courage to maintain human connection amid circumstances designed to strip away humanity?
The film's Cannes reception suggests it avoids the melodrama that sometimes sinks queer period dramas. Dhont's previous work demonstrates restraint and formal rigor - he's not interested in making issues films so much as intimate character studies that happen to engage with larger social questions.
