Causeway, 2022
Directed by Lila Neugebauer.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell, Stephen McKinley Henderson Russell, Harvard Frederick Weller, Sean Carvajal, Will Pullen, and Neal Huff.
SYNOPSIS:
A US soldier suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home.
Causeway is a touching story of friendship and confronting trauma elevated by a believably broken Jennifer Lawrence and a similarly pained, ultra-naturalistic turn from Brian Tyree Henry. The trajectory of the narrative itself is pretty basic and somewhat anticlimactic (there’s a feeling of “oh, that’s it” after it ends, yet a simultaneous notion that it is the proper stopping point), but first-time feature-length director Lila Neugebauer (using a script from Luke Goebel, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Elizabeth Sanders) has assembled more than enough talent in front of and behind the camera to mask certain flaws.
It’s also pleasant to report that, especially considering Causeway has a rocky opening. The film introduces a depressed and discharged Afghanistan engineer suffering from PTSD, Lynsey, in a mobility rehab facility, giving the initial impression that the film will be a series of quasi-disabled physical challenges for Jennifer Lawrence to enact on-screen gunning for awards conversation. This is more or less a prologue, with a physically recovered Lynsey heading back into society and back to her childhood New Orleans home, headed up by a neglectful mother (Linda Emond) assuring that she has changed. I will leave that to you viewers to see for yourself, but I’m sure you all know the answer.
Heavily medicated and mentally unwell, all Lynsey thinks about is redeploying to escape her home once again and the complicated memories they stir. Naturally, her doctor (Stephen McKinley Henderson) is against this decision, citing that placing herself back into that dangerous zone with PTSD (she was caught in an explosion while traveling in a convoy) is stronger than the link between smoking and cancer. Her decision-making speaks to how little she has in life, suggesting deep loneliness and the possibility of running from family matters.
Lynsey’s truck also breaks down, setting her on track for an encounter with mechanic James (in a career of appearing on screen and giving master performances whether a film deserves it or not, Brian Tyree Henry is arguably at his best here). Amidst talking business, they click with one another and casually hang out, sometimes at bars and other times inside the rich people’s swimming pools Lynsey is not planning for work (one particular family is on vacation).
There’s honestly not much to Causeway, a story so admirably stripped-down to the character beats, which primarily works due to the authenticity of the script and performances. The occasional convenient tidbit arises, but for the most part, Causeway locks into this connection between two damaged people hurting inside, seemingly desperate for companionship and to open up to one another.
Without saying much, James has lost one of his legs from a tragic car accident that took the life of some relatives. He doesn’t necessarily tell the full details when recounting the story to Lynsey, but his body language, starts-and-stops searching for words to speak, and organic line delivery are a recipe for a flooring acting turn.
There’s a scene where Lynsey encourages James to come inside the pool for a swim, where he is reluctant mainly due to insecurities regarding his missing leg (and unquestionably some shame surrounding the greater context of the accident). Eventually, he obliges, acting out that scene delicately with a crystal-clear understanding of everything the character is supposed to be feeling. And the second Lynsey makes the mistake of showing pity, James has a startingly real reaction.
This is also not a romantic relationship, as Lynsey informs James that she doesn’t date men. Causeway is strictly about two people with baggage finding solace and company in each other and the courage to face their respective traumas. It’s a lovely small piece of filmmaking that, while nothing extraordinary, properly applies Lila Neugebauer’s background in theater to cinema, coaching Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry to some of the best acting of their respective careers.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
