Directed by : Lila Neugebauer

It would just be nice to have someone around. Have coffee together in the morning. You know, smoke in the evening. Cook together sometimes.

Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry in a still from 'Causeway'

Spoilers ahead..


Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) suffers a severe brain injury when she's deployed at war in Afghanistan. Still suffering from PTSD, she returns back to her home, a place she doesn't want to be. Soon she befriends a mechanic shop owner James (Brian Tyree Henry) who himself has been dealing with a past he can't let go.

A very simple straightforward screenplay that has very less to offer in terms of story, which is its plus point and also becomes its drawback. I can understand the slow pace and very less action happening because the main lead is in the phase of life where she is trying to recover and it doesn't help that she has a mom (dyfunctional) that hardly cares. But the movie totally lacks conflict, and the only one that comes feels very un-necessary spoiling the good friendship Lynsey and James were having. 

Both Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry deliver good performances which is why despite many silent scenes, the movie didn't feel like a bore. Could possibly had shown Lynsey's life before she joined the war, or early childhood days showing why she dislikes being at home. 

The prison scene with her brother was nice one, even with no character development it hits the sentimental tone it was acquiring. I also love the scene when James tells Lynsey he just misses someone to be around at his big lonely house. The decision to not show the incident Lynsey had, rather just hear out from her the exact account how it happened, was a good one. 

In the end, Causeway is a slow likeable movie, but with minimal drama and conflicts, it just never goes beyond that. 

My Rating : 6/10