In 2010, Jennifer Lawrence burst onto the screen with her powerful and haunting performance in the dark indie drama Winter’s Bone. Since then, she has become one of the youngest women to win the Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, while also being the face of not one but two franchises with X-Men and The Hunger Games. For a few years, however, her performances have largely flown under the radar but change seems imminent with the arrival of her new film, Causeway. Starting a new phase in her career as both actress and producer with her production company Excellent Cadaver, Lawrence is entering the awards conversation in a big way. Telling the story of a veteran’s return home and the trauma she has incurred, Causeway looks like it could be a powerful story that will win over audiences everywhere.
Starring alongside Lawrence is Brian Tyree Henry as James. Henry’s biggest mark on pop culture so far is his acclaimed role as Paper Boi on Donald Glover’s hit show Atlanta but he has also made a name for himself in film with movies like Joker, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as well. Other cast members include Linda Emond as Gloria and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Dr. Lucas. Causeway is directed by Lila Neugebauer. Though this is Neugebauer’s feature film debut, she is far from a novice. Theater fans will recognize her as one of the most prolific theater directors of her generation, having directed several plays off-Broadway and made her Broadway debut with the often-underrated Kenneth Lonergan play The Waverly Gallery. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival and Best Actress for veteran comedienne Elaine May. Since then, Neugebauer has shifted to television, directing episodes of critically acclaimed TV series like Maid and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Here is the official synopsis for Causeway:
Jennifer Lawrence stars as Lynsey, a soldier struggling to adjust back home in New Orleans following a traumatic injury. When she meets local mechanic James, the pair begin to forge an unexpected bond.
For anybody who can’t wait to see this intimate drama, here’s everything we know about how, when, and where you can watch this new awards contender.