Causeway

An observational drama on an injured soldier's return to a broken home. The subsequent recovery process through befriending another lost soul, and making family amends in this thought provoking drama that leaves it to the viewer's discretion...

There is no melodrama or hissy-fits about poor me from Jennifer Lawrence as Lynsey, downplaying the role to the point where you forget the actor and get caught up in the emotions of the character. And that goes to the whole cast, who played it in tune to the subdued thoughtful tone of the film.

There is no riveting story here, just performances that felt so real without being too loud. One for the film school...

What I like about this movie, aside from Jennifer Lawrence giving a really beautifully natural performance, as well as a primo performance by Brian Tyree Henry, is the reality of life. I won't talk about the main plot, the story itself since that would spoil it, but I will say that the portrayal of the mundane, day-to-day life, which let's face it can be pretty slow, yet fruitful (ask anyone growing up before technology) and the dialogue between the two is normal, natural, as they become friends and deal with their personal situations. I enjoyed this slice of life movie more than I expected to.

This is a slow, sad, sentimental and sweet plot ( not a story really) about Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) who suffers from the effects of trauma after returning from the war in Afghanistan. ( PTSD) .She was caught in an explosion there which gave her a brain injury. Now she is trying to rehabilitate herself at her hometown in America. Director Lila Neugebauer presents a straightforward narrative as Lynsey attempts to rehabilitate herself. It is indeed creditable that the director has kept away from melodramatic and tear jerking scenes. Jennifer undergoes physiotherapy sessions to be able to walk and acts well to convey the exhaustion, pain and stress her character feels. Then again despite her traumatic experience in Afghanistan, she wants to get redeployed due to a dysfunctional relationship with her mother at home.( On her return from rehab Jennifer doesn't even get a hug or a comforting word from mom.) We have a paradoxical situation where she wants to go back to the war zone as she is not happy at home. A good part of the movie shows the friendship between Jennifer and Brian Tyree Henry, an automobile mechanic. Both are leading stressful lives and have a backstory to tell and both appear to be mirror images of each other in a way. Both are going through a process of healing of their turbulent past. There is a palpable comfort level seen as they spend time over a beer talking about mundane things. Both artists have given touching performances and may pick up awards. Jennifer excels in the scene where she persuades the neurosurgeon for a waiver so that she can go for redeployment and the scene where she speaks in sign language with her brother.

Yes this is another vehicle for JenLaw to show off her ample assets. She is reserved and nuanced here and allows Brian Tyree Henry to steal nearly every scene that they share.

BTH is a revelation here. He is a large man that delivers a simmering and sometimes explosive performance and does it with an understated strength. I hope that Hollywood is paying attention and gets him some higher profile roles.

While this material seems somewhat familiar, the female lead makes for a different turn on the whole vet returning from war genre.

Coming in at a tight just over 90 minutes, this one is well worth a look.

As you would expect from A24, a quiet, not overdramatised film. Jennifer Lawrence shines, especially in the small moments, like the scene with her brother. In addition to the two strong main characters, the story also features interestingly written supporting characters such as the mother or the brother, about whom we only learn fragments of news. The original soundtrack by Alex Somers is particularly well done, really outstanding, if not the best I have heard in a cinema film this year. The rest of the background music, which deviates from the original soundtrack, unfortunately feels out of place. Look and camerawork simple but effective. 7/10.