Causeway is a 2022 psychological drama directed by Lila Neugebauer, from a screenplay by Elizabeth Sanders, Luke Goebel, and Ottessa Moshfegh. The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2022.

Lynsey, a U.S. soldier, experiences a traumatic brain injury during her tour in Afghanistan which forces her to return home. She struggles to return to her daily life with her mother as she waits for her eventual redeployment.

The cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Jayne Houdyshell.

Causeway made its debut in select theaters and on Apple TV+ November 4th.

THE GOOD

By the time the trailer released, Causeway was buzzing thanks to involvement of A24, as well as the cast which includes Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry in the lead roles. All I needed to hear was A24 and I was invested, so Lawrence and Henry were just icing on he cake for me. I knew the film would have more of a indie feel, and the trailer did not disappoint. I did however show my wife the trailer in the hopes that she may want to watch it with me, but after she watched it she promptly said I have no idea what this movie is even about. Now she wasn’t wrong as the trailer is very mysterious and sort of ominous, but that plays in to the overall impact of the film which I will touch on. So needless to say I ended up giving this a solo watch, keep reading to find out if my excitement matched the final product.

Bottom line, this movie was amazing. First of all, Causeway was much different than I expected it to be, at least at first. As I touched on with the trailer not giving anything away, it was clearly by design and I feel like it was a very smart move. Viewers are essentially thrown into the fire as it relates to the extremely dire circumstances the main character Lynsey finds herself in, without the ability to prepare yourself for any of it. You are essentially dropped into the middle of the story as you patiently wait for the details of what happened before that led us here. I mean Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Lynsey, is so unbelievably incredible in this movie she absolutely needs to be in the conversation for Best Actress. A film like this hinges so strongly on the performances, and all I can say is I felt for her character from the first 5-minutes, and the emotion she conveyed through just her eyes was something to experience.

I will talk more about the cast in a bit but I have to touch on the story. The screenplay for Causeway is rooted in dire circumstances and raw emotion. It is about our innate ability as human beings to dig deep for that strength we never knew we had, or our obsession with distractions and hiding from our reality when life gets unbearable. Life is hard, and in Causeway the main character is dealt one bad hand after another to the point where she is willing to put her life on the line once again if it means dulling the pain, or just hiding from the life she tried to forget. I do feel like in order to truly relate to Lynsey, or co-star Brian Tyree Henry who plays her newfound and equally devastated friend James, you need to have experienced loss on some level. Also, what I found really unique was the fact that both characters have a very different yet equally traumatic story to tell, and somehow they found each other in their ultimate time of need.

Causeway is a slow moving film that somehow never feels boring or labored in terms of the story and the pacing, and that is a testament to the performances. I know I keep bringing up the cast but I just can’t help myself. I already talked about the incredible performance from Jennifer Lawrence, and I briefly touched on the performance given by her co-star Brian Tyree Henry, but it needs more talking about. Star of the hit series Atlanta who has seen his career take off in the last few years, Henry delivers what I felt was easily his best performance to date. He plays a man who is clearly well-intentioned with a big heart, but he has some demons that he is grappling with from his past. As we have all been told, grieving is a process, but what you may not know is it is quite common to abandon that process altogether choosing to instead bury the pain because it is just too much. Henry delivers a powerful performance and honestly had me on the edge of my seat, all while feeling so much sympathy for him and what he had gone through. I mean, Lawrence and Henry deserve standing ovations for their performances, simple as that.

As far as the rest of the cast, you won’t find a weak link. I have to talk about Jayne Houdyshell who plays the nurse that cares for Lynsey in the beginning. I just loved how genuine she was, and by the end of it I just wanted to give her a hug. I just loved her character so much. Veteran actor Stephen McKinley Henderson plays a smaller supporting role as Dr. Lucas, the man Lynsey is required to see before she gets her clean bill of health. I really liked his character and felt that he was able to display genuine concern for a patient who he knew was struggling significantly. The last interaction between the two during the films final act was powerful. I also really liked Linda Emond who played Lynsey’s estranged mother Gloria. Also I have to shout out to director Lila Neugebauer for a job well done, as well as composer Alex Somers for delivering a score packed so full of raw emotion it was practically bursting at the seams. Cinematographer Diego García was amazing as well, doing such a fantastic job immersive viewers in the true feel of Louisiana.

THE BAD

I personally have no issues with the film, but it is worth pointing out that it is not for everyone. For example as I touched on a bit already, Causeway is a very slow-burn style film and for that reason it requires a deep investment in the characters, primarily the lead played by Lawrence. Plus, it deals with an extremely difficult and very real subject matter in loss, drug addiction, and PTSD. The main characters often feel alone and hopeless, and you have to be prepared to share these same feelings during their complicated journey.

THE VERDICT

Anchored by profoundly captivating and often gut-wrenching performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway is admittedly a difficult watch due to the subject matter but absolutely rewards viewers willing to give it a chance. Lawrence and Henry became their characters, which is quite an achievement considering how many roles they have both had at this point. This is an amazing film, and is quite simply one of those movies that is more of an experience than anything else as I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish. Every single second of this movie felt like it mattered, and although the ending may feel unresolved, I felt like I got the conclusion I needed as I stared at a blank screen waiting for the films credits. You have done it once again A24, kudos to you. It seems crazy to me that this was filmed way back in the summer of 2019, but it was well worth the wait. If you’re willing to give Causeway a chance, it will leave its mark on you that I guarantee.