Causeway highlights a soldier’s attempts to acclimate to her life after returning home to New Orleans. The 2022 American psychological drama film is now streaming on Apple TV+.
Story
Lynsey was injured physically and mentally when her vehicle collided with an expensive object while she was serving as an engineer in the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan.
After a difficult turnaround, Lynsey returns to her hometown of New Orleans, where she lives with her well-intentioned but careless mother, and finds a job cleaning pools while she waits for her doctor to approve her petition to redeploy.
Lynsey meets James, a friendly mechanic struggling to heal from serious physical and psychological scars, much like Lynsey.
James and Lynsey begin hanging out together after discovering that they are both loners and, possibly unwittingly, suffering. They both develop a relationship that gradually transforms from casual to something more complicated.
Performances
Causeway is a heartwarming tale of friendship and overcoming suffering, made all the more powerful by the convincingly shattered Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) and the anguished James (Brian Tyree Henry).
This character-driven drama gives Lawrence the opportunity to show off her acting prowess while Henry gives a very authentic performance. The two hold the audience’s attention for 93 minutes in a subdued, and sometimes sombre drama that considers purpose and family in the wake of trauma.
Jennifer Lawrence makes a comeback to the kind of unpolished, understated performance that put her on the map. She once again exudes the same honesty and naturalism as she did in Debra Granik’s independent film “Winter’s Bone,” released during 2010. In Causeway, Lawrence expresses a lot about her character and her ideals, wordlessly.
The combination of Henry’s body language, halting speech, and genuine line delivery makes for a floor-stomping acting performance. He sensitively performs key parts while having a complete comprehension of how the character is meant to be feeling.
Positives
Lawrence and Henry receive one of the greatest acting training in Causeway, a wonderful film that skillfully incorporates Lila Neugebauer’s theatrical training into cinema.
The storyline is strengthened by the delicate rhythms, unhurried pace and the absence of makeup. The two leads in Causeway commit to their emotional sincerity in their performances, bringing their characters to life despite the film’s predictable plot.
The storyline and acting are realistic, and the plot is brilliantly pared down to the essential character beats. There is more than enough skill in front of and behind the camera in Lila Neugebauer’s debut feature film to cover up certain shortcomings.
Negatives
Causeway’s narrative is unnecessarily diagrammed and its characters aren’t given enough development, making it both light and heavy-handed. Henry and Lawrence exhibit their best versions to give the script’s static and hazy notions about pain, isolation, and the need for connection to anything that approaches life. As a result, the pressure of making it convincing rests disproportionately on them.
Causeway’s stillness is almost too much for the narrative it is attempting to communicate, at least for someone who enjoys reading between the lines or looking for hidden significance in things.
The narrative’s overall course is quite straightforward and uninspiring. However, Neugebauer crafts soft and convincing performances in a straightforward narrative that, certainly, addresses trauma like so many other movies do nowadays.
Verdict
Causeway may be too slow and constrained in the end, yet its calm moments and expert performances offer catharsis.
Causeway
Director: Lila Neugebauer
Date Created: 2022-11-04 10:30
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