Following a decade-long run that saw her earn an Academy Award for "Silver Linings Playbook" (and another three nominations for "Winter's Bone, "American Hustle" and "Joy"), lead a major action franchise ("The Hunger Games" movies, of course) and become one of the highest-paid actresses in all of Hollywood, Jennifer Lawrence took a much-needed hiatus to focus on her growing family.
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The character-driven film is smaller and more subdued than movie fans might expect from a performer like Lawrence, but it's no less compelling and memorable than the star's bigger, blockbuster fare. Need more convincing? Here's why you should check out "Causeway," which is streaming now on Apple TV.
What is 'Causeway' about?
In this Apple Original directed by Lila Neugebauer and written by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders, Jennifer Lawrence — also an executive producer on the film — plays Lynsey, a U.S. soldier who suffered a traumatic brain injury after an IED explosion during her tour in the Afghanistan War.
Her injuries force her to head home to New Orleans, but her return to civilian life isn't an easy one, made even more difficult by the strained relationship she has with her mother (Linda Edmon). Amidst her struggles to adjust to life back home, though, she finds solace and friendship in an unexpected source: James (Brian Tyree Henry), a local mechanic who is also dealing with his own past trauma.
Why you should you stream 'Causeway' on Apple TV
After 10 years of big-budget work, "Causeway" was a welcome reminder to film lovers that Lawrence would still seek out and excel in quieter, intimate works à la "Winter's Bone." And excel she does here, offering up a powerful, slow-burning performance of a person burdened with the psychological and physical devastation of war, who is forced to encounter both the beauty and the tragedy of trying to keep one's head above the water.
The actress gets a worthy counterpart in Brian Tyree Henry, who has wonderful chemistry with Lawrence and was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for his understated yet deeply affecting supporting performance.
The drama received largely positive response from critics — it currently has a solid 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — including Jenny Nulf of The Austin Chronicle, who wrote: "Watching Jennifer Lawrence in a film that allows her to showcase her skills at full force after so many years without her is a welcome reminder that she’s one of our greatest living actresses [...] Lawrence and Henry do an incredible job at dancing around each other, soft smiles to communicate their pain and hardships without relying on overwritten exposition."
Watch "Causeway" on Apple TV now
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