Causeway

Watching Jennifer Lawrence in a film that allows her to showcase her skills at full force after so many years without her is a welcome reminder that she’s one of our greatest living actresses. In Causeway, Lawrence plays Lynsey, an U.S. army engineer on leave after a tragic accident leaves her with a brain injury. She struggles to adjust, anxious to recover so she can deploy back to Afghanistan and leave behind the ghosts that haunt her back in her home in New Orleans.

Lynsey immediately strikes up a camaraderie with a car mechanic named James, played by the incredible Brian Tyree Henry, and they strike up an odd friendship that’s reliant on shared trauma. Lawrence and Henry do an incredible job at dancing around each other, soft smiles to communicate their pain and hardships without relying on overwritten exposition. Director Lila Neugebauer (best known in the theatre space, but who also worked on the critically acclaimed series Maid) manages to keep the tone understated, focusing on the nuances of Lawrence and Henry’s performances that carry the weight of the heavy script.

Lawrence is able to make a muted performance so engrossing. She effortlessly articulates Lynsey’s frustrations, struggles, and fears oftentimes without words. It’s clear from the moment she steps into her mother’s house, her level of discomfort radiates, suffocating her the longer she resides there. The small, cramped nature of her mother’s house is a juxtaposition to James’ home. Once shared with his sister and her son, James now resides alone in the multi-bedroom home, and the extra space imposes on him. Where Lynsey’s family is a burden to her, James’ sister’s absence is a hole in his heart.

Neugebauer taps into the emotional tidal wave of Causeway’s script (written by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders), and does a decent job at exploring the everyday depression that comes with loss. Lynsey finds stability in a new job as a pool cleaner. The soothing energy of backyard pools wash over her anxiety, creating a blanket that comforts her. There’s a powerful healing quality to water, it soothes nerves and gives a patient space for meditation and reflection. Causeway is at its most successful when the film is patient, giving the space to have its characters ruminate over how their past experiences don’t have to define their futures. It’s the kind of film that only succeeds with incredible performances to back it up, and Neugebauer achieves that with Lawrence and Henry guiding her film in such a touching, beautiful way.

Causeway is available on Apple TV+ now.