Causeway Review: Somber and Touching!

November 7, 2022November 13, 2022 Billy Lawrence 0 Comments Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway, English Movies, Hollywood, Hollywood Movie Reviews, Hollywood Movies, Jennifer Lawrence, Lila Neugebauer

To start with, I was looking forward to Causeway for almost two or three years now. Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence splashes back onto the scene in a more intimate and reserved role, which harkens back to her earlier indie roles like Winter’s Bone. She is captivating in this movie, never too hammy with handling her trauma, and she handled the intensity of her character, Lynsey, decently.

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The story of Causeway revolves around a U. S. soldier who experiences a traumatic brain injury during her tour in Afghanistan, which forces her to return home. Brian Tyree Henry, last seen playing a comical assassin in Bullet Train, is unbelievably remarkable. Similar to Lawrence, he also plays a very reserved character, James Aucoin, dealing with his struggles and does so in such a heartbreaking way. Their dynamic played well as you’re captivated by the relationship and curious to see how it develops.

The writing by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders and the music by Alex Somers accompany the tone of Causeway expertly. It’s a very somber piece that touches your heart in a meaningful way, and the pacing can be a bit slow. I was curious about what the movie was building for most of the film. It’s not super long, so the slow pacing did not bother me much, especially when most of the film followed the wonderful talent of Lawrence and Henry. The movie is slight and can feel as such. The stakes are pretty low, but the emotions run pretty high. There were some characters I wish I had gotten more from.

The official poster for #Causeway: pic.twitter.com/a0aKQXcrHP

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) October 6, 2022

Furthermore, Causeway had interesting themes around family and the dynamic there but didn’t fulfill its promises. I wanted a bit of a better look into her relationship with her mom, it felt like we were always on the tip of the iceberg with her. There are actors who I wish had more screen time because they do so well with what they are given (such as Jayne Houdyshell and Stephen McKinley Henderson). Overall, Causeway has a lot of deep themes that I wished were explored a little more. The lead performances are incredible, the writing is touching, and Lila Neugebauer’s direction is soo clear.