![]() First-time film director Lila Neugebauer’s camera begins to move when Lynsey does, and it isn’t long before the stiff wide shots of the movie’s opening scenes give way to a more relaxed flow as Lynsey arrives back home New Orleans and begins cleaning pools as she waits to be declared fit for redeployment. She can’t walk on her own strength or even find her mouth with her toothbrush, but progress comes quickly to someone who’s itching to re-enlist. ![]() When Sharon first takes Lynsey into her care, the young engineer is just starting to recover from an IED blast. Shot in 2019 and snipped into shape during the pandemic, “Causeway” begins with Lynsey returning home from war and receiving what any fan of American theater would consider a hero’s welcome: Several weeks of rehab with Jayne Houdyshell. “Causeway” holds together because Lawrence may not even be the movie’s best performance. That’s not the reason why this ultra-modest character study - sheared down to the point that you can almost see it shivering - works in spite of its small ambitions. Her turn as Lynsey shows that Lawrence knows her own strengths and isn’t afraid to make herself vulnerable to show it. Lawrence’s raw but restrained performance in “Causeway” also marks a return to the sort of hardscrabble indie drama that launched her career, and a return to the kind of unflinching, open-faced, recklessly stoic survivors whom she portrays with the natural presence of someone whose own life is on the line. ‘The Boys in the Boat’ Review: George Clooney’s Inspirational Crew Drama Is Too Hokey to Stay AfloatĪrmy Corps engineer Lynsey wanted to leave her hometown so badly she went to Afghanistan there, she suffered a brain injury that has forced her return. Russell character (sorry, but “American Hustle” deserves its own separate ding). ![]() If nothing else, the microscopically small but sincerely moving “ Causeway” - which the actress also produced under her Excellent Cadaver banner - offers a strong reminder of what Lawrence can bring to the screen when she’s cast as a recognizable human being as opposed to a mutant shapeshifter or a David O. Russell fiascos have dulled one of America’s brightest young movie stars to the point where it’s become easy to forget how good she can be. Despite the quiet strength she brought to the “Hunger Games” franchise, and the outlandish joy she mined from the likes of “mother!” and “Red Sparrow,” a long run of dreadful “X-Men” sequels and over-cranked David O. It’s so good to see Jennifer Lawrence play a real person again. AppleTV+ releases the film in select theaters and on its streaming platform on Friday, November 4. Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
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