The Intimate, Humane “Causeway” Is an Awards Contender

by MIKE ORLOCK

I’ve discussed before in this column the dramatic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in the way that Hollywood movies have been marketed and distributed. The popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon have grown exponentially during the past three years, and films that were once released only in theaters to reap hefty box-office returns or serious awards buzz (or both) are now routinely delivered to our homes via our smart TVs.

The last two Academy Awards Best Picture honorees were films released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming services – Hulu’s Nomadland and Apple TV’s CODA – and both were up against other films released the same way, leaving traditional theater screens to the latest superhero extravaganza or animated spectacular rather than trying to compete for marquee space.

That’s where you’ll find one of this year’s best films and serious Oscar contenders, Causeway (R). The Apple TV+ release is the kind of gritty, realistic drama that once upon a time would have played exclusively in art houses in major cities, hoping to cultivate enough interest to merit end-of-the-year awards consideration. 

Produced by and starring previous Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence – taking a break from blockbuster franchises to exercise the acting chops that garnered the Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook for her a decade ago, this small-scale drama is a painfully intimate examination of the life of a young woman named Lynsey, back in New Orleans after a military stint in Afghanistan that left her seriously injured and emotionally traumatized. 

She’s so disconnected from the world she grew up in that she figures she has no other options but to reenlist and redeploy. She pesters her VA doctor (Stephen McKinley Henderson) to sign a release stating she’s good to go, but he’s not convinced she’s healthy enough to make that decision so soon out of physical therapy.

Lynsey returns home to live with her mother (Linda Emond), who senses something is off with her daughter but is too used to living without her around to really try to connect with her in any meaningful way. 

When Lynsey’s old car breaks down, she meets James Aucoin (Brian Tyree Henry), a mechanic in the neighborhood who guesses correctly that Lynsey’s problems go deeper than a faulty carburetor. To his credit, he takes the time to be with her and listen to her. 

James is crippled in a very physical way (he lost a leg in a deadly traffic accident), and the friendship that haltingly develops between these two withdrawn and damaged people brings each of them a semblance of happiness and fulfillment, awkward as it might sometimes feel.

Stage veteran Lila Neugebauer directs the film (from a screenplay by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders), and she is especially good at allowing Lawrence and Henry to do their thing in front of the camera without trying to do too much behind it. Neugebauer’s approach to framing and cutting is understated and natural. There are no clever camera tricks or grisly combat flashbacks juicing the action, such as it is – just an unblinking eye that never looks away.

Causeway is a very human story told in a very humane way by people who are obviously committed to this material. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lawrence and Henry, and others mentioned above, are recognized by some association or academy during this upcoming awards season. They are richly deserving.

Causeway is still in certain select theaters (none local), and it’s easily accessible if you subscribe to Apple TV+. In fact, as intimate as this material is, it might play even better on the smaller screen.

In another lifetime, Mike Orlock wrote film reviews for the Reporter/Progress newspapers in the western suburbs of Chicago. He has also taught high school English, coached basketball and authored three books of poetry. He currently serves as Door County’s poet laureate.