All London Film Festival 2022 reviews will be written by the wonderfully talented and massive film fan Brigitte Krause. You can follow her on Twitter – @TheBrigitteEdit.
Jennifer Lawrence is back on the big screen. After returning from her multi-year break and seeing her in ‘Don’t Look Up’ with mixed reviews. I personally really liked the film, but let’s move on. It’s great to see her return to her indie roots.
Lawrence plays Lynsey, a soldier returning home to New Orleans after a traumatic accident resulting in brain injury. Visibly struggling in the beginning, the film follows her journey of recovery and finding her place back home and what that means for her relationship with her mother and the people around her.
Causeway is a truly remarkable film about pain and trauma. It doesn’t subscribe to the usual rehashing of traumatic events, with overly graphic flashbacks, but expects the viewer to be smart enough to imagine those images for themselves. Making a conscious decision to stay in the present at all times.
In the film, Lawrence’s character also meets James, a mechanic played by Brian Tyree Henry. I think it’s their unique and timely friendship and the comradery they build that makes Causeway so great.
This is further elevated by the remarkable Alex Somers score and Diego Garcia’s cinematography, which overall not only makes New Orleans shine, but gives the film so much space and allows for silence to speak where needed. It is one of its biggest strengths outside of the pairing of Lawrence and Henry as co-stars.
I’m glad Causeway has a home with A24 and AppleTV because it’s rare to see a film that shares the mundane tasks of everyday life while healing from trauma and family systems. All while trying to move forward in life.
Directed by: Lila Neugebauer
Cast: Jennifer Larence, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayne Houdyshell
Run Time: 1hr 32mins
Certificate: TBC
The Bear Cave 