Causeway

Lynsey, a US Army Corps of Engineers soldier, sustains a traumatic brain injury during the Afghanistan War. She begins physical therapy with a kind caretaker, Sharon, and gradually regains motor skills. Facing financial barriers, she cannot continue treatment and returns home to New Orleans.

Lynsey stays in her childhood home with her unreliable mother Gloria. She struggles to adjust to life after injury and begins cleaning pools to support herself. Her medical care remains a central concern as she tries to rebuild her routine.

The truck that once belonged to her brother breaks down, and she finds help from James, an auto mechanic. This chance encounter sparks a connection that will shape her recovery and daily life. He offers practical support that she soon leans on.

Struggling to adjust to medications and daily life, Lynsey tells her doctor she was injured by an IED in Afghanistan. Despite the challenges, she remains determined to redeploy and return to duty.

Lynsey and James become unlikely friends. After he helps her avoid unwanted advances at a bar, she reveals that she is a lesbian, deepening the trust between them. They begin to share their personal histories.

James confides that he lost his leg in a car crash on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, while Lynsey opens up about unhappy memories at home, including her brother Justin's drug problems. The conversations bind them closer as they disclose painful histories. Their honesty marks a turning point in their relationship.

Drunkenly, James invites Lynsey to move in with him in the house he formerly shared with his sister and her son. The idea shows the depth of their growing trust, but also tests Lynsey's boundaries.

Ignoring her mother's objections, Lynsey commits herself to redeployment and finds work swimming at an out-of-town client's pool. The physical effort becomes a new focus in her rehabilitation and sense of purpose.

Lynsey continues to spend time with James, bonding over sno-balls and their shared physical and mental trauma. The friendship provides emotional support as they confront their pasts.

Lynsey convinces James to join her in the pool, and he reveals he was driving during the crash that killed his nephew, which led to estrangement from his sister. She comforts him, and their emotional moment deepens their connection.

Lynsey impulsively kisses James after comforting him, but immediately explains it was out of pity. The moment triggers an argument about the things they have kept secret, and James ends their friendship.

Lynsey's doctor reluctantly signs her redeployment waiver. She cannot reach James at first, but learns that he had the truck repaired for free. Inspired, she resolves to reconnect with her brother Justin, visiting him in prison.

She chooses not to abandon her home life completely; she cleans her mother's disused pool and swims at a public pool, signaling renewed independence and self-care. This marks a shift toward gradual healing as she weighs redeployment.

Lynsey visits James and urges him to ask her to move in again, signaling a renewed desire to repair their friendship and continue building a life together after the trauma. The moment ends with a sense of cautious optimism about their future.