I've always said that for real quality, Apple TV+ is one of the best streaming platforms for tv shows and movies. And once again, that holds true with Causeway, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry.
What Is Causeway About?
We meet Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) straight out of the hospital as she moves into Sharon's house for rehabilitation. We know she is a soldier, but exactly why she is there and what happened to her are not yet explained.
With some tough days ahead, Lynsey improves enough to go home to New Orleans. The problem is that she doesn't want to be there. Not in the town, not in her family home and not in that life.
A chink of light appears in the form of James (Brian Tyree Henry), a mechanic who helps her out when her truck breaks down. James is suffering from his own personal trauma, and the two soon bond with each realising that they need a friend.
Over the course of a few months, Lynsey works hard to prove she is fit for redeployment. But in her desperation to leave, fails to see that she can have the life she wants, if she just stops running away.
Causeway Official Trailer
Is Causeway Worth Watching?
I'm not sure what I expected from Causeway, but honestly, Jennifer Lawrence is such a terrific actress that I was happy to watch it.
It's a subtle and quiet film that is entirely focused on Lynsey and James and their friendship.
Lawrence is powerfully subdued as a soldier struggling with a traumatic brain injury and its lingering effects as she goes through the motions of a dull daily life.
Causeway is an intimate portrait of a young woman who struggles with returning home, and with gripping performances from both leads, it really is a beautiful film.
Of course, it's not perfect. It's very short and runs for less than an hour and a half. Then again, the story is fully realised in that time, so it's a small complaint.
The entire movie is told from Lawrence's perspective. So we never see any other character independent of her. I would have liked to see more of Brian Tyree Henry outside of when he was just needed by Lynsey.
All that said, Causeway is a stripped-back, no-frills tale of friendship between two broken people who discover that they need each other to survive.
Where Was Causeway Filmed?
Causeway was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Filming began in the summer of 2019 but was delayed due to Hurricane Barry.
It restarted in March 2020 but was once again delayed due to the pandemic and was eventually completed in the summer of 2021.
It has a limited cinema release at the end of October 2022, and then it was released on Apple TV+ on November 4, 2022.
Causeway Movie Cast
Jennifer Lawrence as Lynsey
Brian Tyree Henry (Eternals) as James Aucoin
Linda Emond as Gloria, Lynsey's mother
Jayne Houdyshell as Sharon, Lynsey's initial carer
Stephen McKinley Henderson as Dr. Lucas, the neurologist
