LES BRAVES (COWARD)

Synopsis

In WWI-ravaged Belgium, war throws together a “Quiet Mouse” and a theatre-minded tailor. Though one wrong move spells death, they fall recklessly into love. Dedicating themselves to crafting fantasies. Torn about how best to serve their country but determined to showcase the brave visions of a “Band of Rejects.” Pierre and Francis (Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, Cannes’ joint Best Actor winners) balance grunt work—pulling cannons, hauling corpses—with showbiz. Francis using the spark of female impersonation to inch closer to sheepish Pierre. The liminal space of the war allows Francis to express himself, and soon he has transformed a barn into a theatre, enlisting Pierre’s services. In a situation where grief is treated as a disease and excised, the two men’s troupe becomes a voice for their comrades’ pain. Lukas Dhont’s triumph of gesture is Cabaret on the Western Front—a film of exquisite beauty that can turn sawdust into snow. Full of brutality and cruelty, but also great gentleness. Dhont (writer-director of festival sensations Girl and Close) trades standard wartime tropes for a rousing exploration of artistic growth and mutual self-discovery. A thin line drawn between cowardice and true valour.

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