Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry are at their restrained best in an emotional drama about a soldier recovering from trauma, pursuing belonging, and exploring life in a lonely world more so than a battlefield.
Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry are at their restrained best in an emotional drama about a soldier recovering from trauma, pursuing belonging, and exploring life in a lonely world more so than a battlefield.
Filmmaker Leila Neugebauer Paved road There is a deafening silence to it, a feeling that becomes clearer as the film progresses. A gray palette is painted over carefully written scenes to tell the story of Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence), a young woman who is taken to a caretaker named Sharon (Jeanne Houdishel).
When we first see Lynsey, she is wheelchair bound and struggles to do even the most basic of everyday tasks. She looks unsure of who she really is. Sequence after sequence, we see how Lynsey battles with sudden panic attacks, exhausting physiotherapy sessions, and constant fear on her face. The information is drip-fed to us, without any conclusive pattern. We first learn that this incident happened when she was posted to Afghanistan, but it’s hard to see how excited she is to go home and meet her family, but look forward to being redeployed. After getting better, Lynsey reluctantly leaves Sharon’s place and goes back to her home. The still shot of Lynsey on the bus – the pale, tired face that hints even at a staggering mind – breaks down after all the pieces come together.
Paved road
the director: Leila Neugebauer
Throw: Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Jane Houdishel, Linda Amond
Order: 92 minutes
Story: One American soldier killed after a devastating attack in Afghanistan. The film follows his healing journey from trauma, present and past
Paved road There is a careful examination of how the effects of years of trauma can unfold, and how irreversible the healing process can be. In her hometown, Lynsey meets James Aucoin (Brian Tyree Henry), a kind and considerate man working as a mechanic. There is no argument in a deep conversation, but a light car ride proves enough for these two to recognize one friend in the other. Much of the film here deals with the opening of these two individuals dealing with PTSD. Both of their journeys are about finding a place and time to face the reality of their suffering. While it is poignant to see how these two characters are eager to find a home even when they are together, having two characters who mirror each other is an easy road to resolution.
Writing by Otesa Moshfeg, Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders takes a careful look at this relationship between Lynsey and James. While it’s normal to expect some sort of sexual tension, a scene at the bar dismisses the possibility as factual; The subtlety of which is hopelessly lost later, when a more complicated situation arises between the two.
in retrospect, Paved roadTo highlight a point about the roots of psychological trauma, and what happens to a person by running away from it, Lynsey grew as a seed in her hesitation towards her home. The story is In Lynsey’s case, it’s not far-fetched to assume that she ran away from troubles—the film hints at this—and at the same time, how cruel it can be to face her day in and day out hopelessly. Can you Lynsey’s connection with her mother is evident from the moment she comes home, when she is not picked up at the bus station and there is no slow running and hugging when they finally reconnect. Linsey’s life is a lonely escape from a place with no sense of belonging anywhere; It becomes mind numbing to see how badly she wants to go back to the world of chaos.
Perhaps, this rooted root of the trauma she holds back is another reason why the producers began the story by showing Lynsey’s journey from the beginning to healing and the terrorist attack in Afghanistan, which we later find in a detailed Shows through account. , Of course, the first reason may be that we don’t milk our feelings with an unnecessary gimmick; Some filmmakers fail to take that into account.
In Paved road, Jennifer and Brian Tyree are at their most restrained, especially in the weakest scenes. However, the presence of a star like Jennifer may not work in favor of the film due to different reasons. Looking at his filmography, one filled with a lot of excitement, like walking blindly into a movie Paved road May not be fair, as there are nuances to the storytelling and the dramatic pitch never crosses a set threshold. Again, this is a film that has been treated, both literally and visually, like a mind-boggling freak out of shock. That, and the mindful writing makes it one of a kind.
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