Built from intuitive hunches — she calls them “corazonadas” — the work of Mexican writer-director Lila Avilés plays like an invitation into her characters’ most vulnerable states, not to judge them but to share in their experience. Although “Tótem,” in theaters Friday, didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for international feature, its soul-stirring power has gained Avilés several famous fans. “‘Tótem’ …
Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence plays a soldier struggling with PTSD and past trauma in Causeway, an indie drama which also marks the Hollywood star’s debut as a producer. The film sees Lawrence's character, Lynsey, returning from Afghanistan with a debilitating brain injury sustained in an attack. I just hadn't seen something like that really since Winter's Bone," she said, referring to …
