Transporting audiences to the trenches of World War I, Lukas Dhont’s “Coward” is a tender tale of love and what it means to be brave. When eager rookie Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia) arrives on the front lines, he meets Francis (Valentin Campagne), a soldier who decides to lift the troop’s spirits by putting together a theatre show. As the war wages, the two search for ways to escape the brutality and violence, longing to stay in their stolen moments of peace.

The opening sets the tone. Booming with the sound of troops singing their way to the front lines, the theater is filled with naïve confidence and short-lived joy. Valentin Hadjadj’s music and Yanna Soentjens’ sound design immediately draw in audiences, holding their attention for the duration of the film. Music is the driving force — representing hope, bravery, fear, and love. Along with commanding and tender performances by the cast, the music expresses the dynamics of the human experience at war just as much as the film’s dialogue. As a thematic element, co-writers Dhont and Angelo Tijssens remind audiences of the healing power of music and acting for both observers and participants.

Soentjens’ sound design masterfully immerses audiences into the action of the film. Whether in the trenches, grand ballrooms, or quiet bedrooms, Soentjens creates an intricate sonic experience in which an individual voice can be drawn out from a large chorus, and the sound of gunshots and bombs pulls viewers onto the battlefield. The sound is especially evocative in the film’s most intimate moments, where the audience can hear Pierre and Francis’ individual breaths. The vulnerability this creates mirrors the vulnerability the two feel with each other.

The film’s costume and production design are also masterclasses in cohesion. The film features a bright color palette with creams and whites that juxtapose the brutality while mirroring the themes of hope and innocence. Francis, Pierre, and the other soldiers create costumes and sets from ammunition boxes, food sacks, and other materials they find in their camps. Costume designer Isabel Van Renterghem perfectly captures the soldiers’ resourcefulness and quest for beauty through intricately stunning yet scrappy costumes for the soldiers’ show. Her designs evolve with the story as the troupe’s performances improve in scale and quality. Production designer Eve Martin creates beautiful theatrical sets with soft, bright colors that starkly contrast the bloody scenes in the trenches and no man’s land.

What sets “Coward” apart is the excellent performances by Macchia and Campagne, the joint winners of the Cannes Award for Best Actor. As Pierre, Macchia masters the role of the quiet rookie, conveying volumes through facial expression alone. Macchia immediately draws in audiences to his mystery, which makes his evolution across the film both a gratifying and heartbreaking experience. Campagne’s portrayal is equally electric, balancing flamboyance and sensitivity. The pair’s performances center and ground the film. Just as their characters feel with each other, watching the two of them together on screen silences the chaos of the surrounding war.

With an open-ended final scene, Dhont preserves the balance between heartbreak and hope that is upheld throughout “Coward.” A triumph in delivery and symbolism, it is a moving tale, certain to pull at heartstrings. One of Cannes most tender films, “Coward” reminds audiences of the unifying power of performance.

—Staff writer Dzifa A. Ackuayi can be reached at [email protected].