Belgium has put its horse in the Oscar race, picking Lukas Dhont’s queer WWI drama Coward as its official selection for Best International Feature Film for the 99th Academy Awards. The film, set in the Belgian trenches of the First World War, follows the love between two young soldiers who try, through art and intimacy, to escape the horrors around them. Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia) is a young Belgian soldier struggling to go on, who finds hope, and eventually romance, with the flamboyant Francis (Valentin Campagne), who entertains the troops with his gender-bending theatrical performances and impromptu song and dance numbers. Coward…
