Causeway

Jennifer Lawrence makes a welcome return to the type of small, personal, tonally modulated low-budget indie that introduced her to the world back in 2011's Winter's Bone. In the unfortunately named Causeway (the only fault I can find in this movie is that, like so many films these days, it's saddled with a forgettable one-word title that may doom it to obscurity) Lawrence plays an Afghanistan War vet suffering the effects of a traumatic brain injury after an IED blows up her vehicle. She returns to the dysfunctional home-life in New Orleans that the military enabled an escape from, and tries to recover both physically and psychologically. While anxiously waiting for her shrink (Stephen McKinley Henderson once again bringing depth and credibility to a tiny role) to sign off on her redeployment, she strikes up a friendship with a sympathetic auto mechanic played by Brian Tyree Henry.

Both stars shine brightly playing these two everyday people just trying to get through each day providing understanding and comfort to each other. The film is written by three screenwriters I'm unfamiliar with and marks the feature debut of acclaimed theater director Lila Neugebauer, who helmed the excellent 2018 Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan's The Waverly Gallery (which scored a Tony for octogenarian legend Elaine May). Neugebauer's quiet, seemingly effortless direction of the finely crafted script and powerfully compassionate performances make Causeway one of the year's small but most precious gems.