The new Apple TV+ drama film Causeway revolves around a US Soldier Lynsey (played by Jennifer Lawrence), who returns to her childhood home after suffering from a traumatic injury in one of her Afghanistan tours. The film deals with subjects like PTSD, trauma, anxiety and personal loss and is helmed by American theatre director Lila Neugebauer.
The cast of the film includes Bryan Tyree Henry as James, Jane Houdyshell as Sharon, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Dr Lucas, Lind Aemond as Gloria and Fred Weller as Rick. Moreover, the film has a total run time of one hour and thirty-four minutes.
-Causeway Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
There is a scene at the start of the film, where Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself inside a caretaker’s home for physical recovery. Initially, she refrains from any conversation whatsoever but responds when it becomes absolutely necessary. The caretaker reveals that helping people recover from emotional and physical injuries is her full-time job. To which Lynsey replies, “What a miserable life that must be”- followed by an immediate regret.
The caretaker takes a momentary pause and comforts Lynsey by saying, “It’s okay. Sometimes people don’t mean what they say”. The scene hardly lasts a minute and doesn’t get carried forward in the film, but to me, it was possibly the main highlight of the whole feature. In most cases, broken individuals don’t have the intention of hurting others. It’s just that pushing emotions in a different direction becomes the only possible choice.
Causeway is a film about letting go of pain and embracing the other side of it. If there is one thing that Lynsey wanted right from her childhood, it was to move far away from the origin of her trauma. However, when she suffers from a TBI during one of her Afghan tours, she is left with the only option of returning back home. Thereby, creating a limbo of emotional suffering for her.
The US soldier meets a garage mechanic guy named James (played by Bryan Tyree Henry), who shares the same if not an equal amount of emotional trauma. James lost his leg during a car accident, which also resulted in the death of her nephew. The two strangers somehow develop a friendship of sharing pain and form the thematic crux of this drama film.
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The film provides an intimate representation of pain and grief, with a brilliantly moving screenplay. It scales in achieving a deeper meaning within the conversation and finds the perfect moment to resonate with you. Moreover, the remarkable direction from Lila Neugebauer makes the experience completely felt.
The high point of the film is Jennifer Lawrence and her effortless portrayal of Lynsey. Even in the scenes, where her character has hardly anything to say, she peels each and every layer of silence through her expressions. Furthermore, Bryan Tyree is top-notch in his role and deserves an equal amount of praise for his heartbreaking honest performance.
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Causeway Final Thoughts
The film is a deep cinematic experience and is a must-watch for any cinema enthusiast. It is able to express the strong emotions of loss and pain, through the vivid lens of the camera. Moreover, the soundtrack itself feels like a third character, that has a voice of its own.
You can stream the film on Apple TV+. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.
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