Jennifer Lawrence Slows Down the Pace in the First Trailer for Causeway

Jennifer Lawrence is returning to her indie roots in her upcoming film, Causeway. The trailer, released on Thursday, reveals a slow burning, bare bones story of a woman struggling, one more akin to her break out, Winter’s Bone, than her more recent titles like American Hustle, Don’t Look Up, and X-Men.

Causeway tells the story of Lynsey, a military engineer who sustains a debilitating brain injury in Afghanistan and returns home to New Orleans to recover. It’s a story of war and PTSD, yes, but more so about a homecoming as Lynsey reunites with her mother and must reckon with her childhood. Lawrence stars in the lead role alongside Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry who plays James, a mechanic who offers Lynsey a ride home and then bonds with her over their past trauma.

Lawrence spoke about the film in a recent interview with Vogue, saying she was “off-the-bat drawn to the rhythm” of the story. “I like a fast-paced Marvel movie as much as the next person. But I do miss the slow melody of a character-driven story,” she said. Upon reading the script, she immediately jumped into action. “I was like, ‘We have to make this. Let’s make it now.’”

The film is the first movie being made under Lawrence’s production company, Excellent Cadaver. It’s also the film debut of director Lila Neugebauer, who comes from a theater background and received a Tony nomination for her revival of The Waverly Gallery in 2018. Causeway premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month with heavy praise, specifically for Lawrence’s performance, as talk has already begun about a possible Oscar nomination for the actress.

Causeway will premiere on Apple TV+ as well as in theaters on November 4th. See the trailer below: