Cinematic Point Of View

If you’re someone who has experienced any sort of traumatic life event, I think you’ll really appreciate director Lila Neugebauer‘s film Causeway (2025). In the most simple of terms, it’s a gentle, humanistic film about ordinary people trying to recover from trauma and be okay in the world again.

This film flew completely under my radar. I never saw one trailer for it, and I look for trailers on a daily basis! I wish more people were talking about it.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a U.S. Army engineer returning home to New Orleans after IED incident in Afghanistan. She gets placed in a home with a caregiver who helps her literally get back on her feet as she struggles to walk, talk, and perform basic motor functions.

She eventually moves back in with her estranged mother and finds a low-key job cleaning pools. When her truck breaks down she meets a mechanic named James (Brian Tyree Henry), who is also dealing with physical and emotional trauma from his past.

The film chronicles the friendship that grows between Lynsey and James as they begin to see each others wounds, both visible and hidden.

At first, Lynsey’s goal is to return to combat and reclaim the one thing she thought gave her worth, but she begins to question whether that is the “normal” she truly wants. A part of her wants to pretend like nothing happened and just continue her life as it was.

She also begins another journey of healing by moving back into her childhood home. There she is forced to deal with her mother and some old wounds concerning her brother.

James has his own set of special issues. He’s holding on to pain from a deadly mistake that destroyed his life and pushes through each day with deflective humor and denial. Both of them are looking for friendship and understanding.

This is a film that doesn’t exploit trauma for drama. The pain isn’t sensationalized. It never overplays the healing process. It all feels very in the moment and natural.

Where other films about recovery might focus on over-the-top drama conflict, Causeway‘s screenwriters (Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders) choose to deescalate the situation whenever they can. None of these characters are trying to hurt each other. They aren’t projecting their pain. They might not be able to always know how to offer help, but they try to do no harm. It’s inspiring. I want to study this screenplay (if only I could find it!) and figure out how they pulled this off so elegantly.

I also love how the story takes place in New Orleans, but treats it like any other city. The people, clothing, and locations all feel very lived in. The whole vibe is low key, which puts you right into the minds of these two characters. It feels like they feel. It’s quiet, lost between the past and the future.

Beyond the script, Jennifer Lawrence and Bryan Tyree Henry have a natural chemistry and play their characters with a refreshing, straightforward honesty. They are surrounded by other wonderful supporting performances from Jayne Houdyshell, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Linda Emond. Linda, who plays the Mom, is particularly great. She has a social life that feels disruptive and has blinders when it comes to her kids.

Director Lila Neugebauer does an incredible job bringing her skills as a theater director to the big screen. You can imagine these conversations playing out on a stage, but the film never feels like a play. And the cinematography by Diego García gives every scene a crisp, warm, lived-in beauty that feels like home.

I also love this soundtrack. The musical score by Alex Somers washes over you in waves. It’s like an echo of hidden pains crying out in the background, gently pushing you forward.

Did I mention love this movie?

It goes without saying, even though I will say it, that the very definition of a causeway is a “raised road or bridge.” I’ve watched this movie twice now and I think Causeway truly serves as a bridge for the viewer as well. It’s about getting to the starting line and beginning again. Baby steps.

Go watch it. You can find Causeway on Apple TV+.