#TIFF26: “COWARD” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

In the first World War, Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), a Belgian soldier, tries to balance the emotional weight of his horrifying position on the front lines with a blossoming romantic connection to Francis (Valentin Campagne), a theatre kid who motivates the troops with songs and dance. Lukas Dhont‘s Coward is a queer coming-of-age WWI movie, and right off the bat I have to give it props for being such a singular fusion of themes and genres. The look and feel of the trenches is agonizingly sharp and evocative, and makes for a stunning contrast with the beauty of the countryside, and the makeshift theatre and performance spaces.

Dhont‘s vision of a young man torn between love and war is inspired, and the story demands a deep, interior performance from his quiet lead. It is so disappointing that Emmanuel Macchia (in his first film), cannot offer that necessary depth. He has two distinct modes of performance–glum and grinning. Both masks are compelling at first, but as Coward unfolds, the limits of Macchia‘s expressions are unavoidable. It’s all too surfacey and repetitive. In the meta-theatrical sequences, he never even tries to embody the roles he’s signed up for, opting instead to stew in sadness. Your mileage may vary of course, as so much of his performance is wordless, and he is aided by a breathtaking period backdrop and a compelling co-star in Campagne. Not to mention–they shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. There are jurors out there who vehemently disagree with my take. But in a film about performance and masculinity, I needed a lead to match the complexity of his harrowing world. To my mind, the true star of Coward is that aching world itself–and not so much its central inhabitant.

Coward screens at TIFF ’26:

Sun. Sept 13 at 5:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Mon. Sept 14 at 5:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

#FIRSTLOOK: “MINOTAUR” AND “COWARD” RELEASE DATES

MUBI, the global streaming service, film distributor, and production company, has announced the North American theatrical release dates for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur and Lukas Dhont’s Coward. Both films had their world premieres at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival where Minotaur won the Grand Prix and Coward won the prize for Best Actor.

MUBI will release Minotaur in US and CA theatres on November 20, 2026. MUBI will release Coward in US and CA theatres on December 25, 2026. MUBI will announce theatrical release dates for both films in their remaining territories later this year.

These films join MUBI’s previously announced 2026 North American theatrical slate of Cannes prize-winners: Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland (winner of Best Director) coming this fall; and Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (winner of the Queer Palm) releases in the US on August 7 and CA on August 14.

Minotaur is directed and co-written by Academy Award®-nominee Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless, The Return) and is co-written by Semen Liashenko. Zvyagintsev’s previous films include Cannes prize-winners Leviathan (Best Screenplay) and Loveless (Jury Prize). His debut film, The Return, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2003. Minotaur is Zvyagintsev’s sixth feature and continues his collaboration with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov.

Minotaur is co-produced by Razor Film in Germany and Forma Pro films in Latvia. It will be distributed in France by Films du Losange, and has received the support from ARTE France Cinéma. International sales are handled by mk2.

SYNOPSIS
Russia, 2022. When Gleb, a successful company director, finds himself under siege from mounting corporate pressures and an increasingly unstable world, the collapse of his carefully ordered life accelerates toward violence.

Coward is directed and co-written by Academy Award®-nominee Lukas Dhont (Close, Girl). The film marks a reunion for director Lukas Dhont with key collaborators, including co-writer Angelo Tijssens and producer Michiel Dhont, continuing a creative partnership that has defined his previous critically acclaimed work.

Coward is a production by the Reunion, Lumen, Topkapi Films & Versus (Opus) in co-production with France 2 Cinéma, VTM, RTBF, Proximus, BeTV & Orange. The film was produced in association with The Common Humanity Art Trust and Portobello Productions. The film was made with the essential support of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) of the Flemish Government, the Screen Flanders economic fund, Screen Brussels, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB), Wallimage, CINÉ+ OCS, CNC, PICTANOVO Hauts-de-France, Sacem, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive and EURIMAGES, and the participation of France Télivisions.

Coward came about with the help of the Tax Shelter Measure of the Belgian Federal Government, Casa Kafka & Lumière Invest.

SYNOPSIS
As the First World War drags on, Pierre, a soldier newly arrived at the front, is eager to prove himself. Behind the lines, he meets Francis, who decides to lift the spirits of his comrades by putting together a theatre show. While the violence continues, both men try to find ways to escape the brutality of war, even if only for a moment.

About MUBI
MUBI is a global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema. MUBI creates, curates, acquires and champions visionary films, bringing them to audiences all over the world.

MUBI is a place to discover ambitious films, from both iconic directors and emerging auteurs. All carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators. With MUBI GO, members in select countries can get a free ticket every week to see the best new films in cinemas. And Notebook explores all sides of cinema culture — both in print and online.

Some previous and upcoming MUBI Releases include: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, Akinola Davies Jr’s My Father’s Shadow, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, Ira Sachs’ Passages, Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex, Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, and Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave.

MUBI Productions include Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland starring Sandra Hüller, Andrew Haigh’s A Long Winter, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind starring Josh O’Connor and Felix van Groeningen’s Let Love In.

Founded in 2007 by Efe Cakarel, MUBI is the biggest community of film lovers anywhere, with members across 190 different countries. MUBI is headquartered in London, with 15 offices across the world and over 400 employees.

MUBI also owns The Match Factory, a premier international sales company for independent cinema, acquired in 2022. The Match Factory operates alongside MUBI, focusing on world sales for exceptional films that fall outside MUBI’s own distribution slate.

MUBI additionally owns a majority stake in leading Benelux film distributor Cinéart.