'Causeway' Explores Toxic Masculinity Through Its Protagonists
The message to take away from 'Causeway' is that toxic masculinity can manifest in anyone, no matter what their gender identity is.

When Irena Ruppel, a fascinating Slovenian woman, arrives in a valley of the Po river, she is hosted by a man of that area, Gabriele. She seems to know a lot about Gabriele, whom at the same time is intrigued by this woman who doesn't speak Italian but she seems to understand everything that happens around her. Once she leaves, she gives a weak clue to Gabriele: her name and Tolmin, the name of a locality at the borders between Italy and Slovenia. Gabriele can't help it and goes to look for her, taking a journey that will bring him to the truth about his parents, himself and this woman who threw his calm life into confusion.
The message to take away from 'Causeway' is that toxic masculinity can manifest in anyone, no matter what their gender identity is.
The “gay best friend”, an age-old trope, has been done in countless films and television series. Ranging from one-note (Sex and the City's Stanford and Mario) to nuanced (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tituss), the gay best friend exists to support and advise the main protagonist, with their conflicts swept to the side.
A cat-and-mouse chase that will make viewers nostalgic for the cartoon series.
Battles will come and go and queer people do die for their identity and fights for rights, but that doesn’t mean the gays don’t deserve their happy endings in stories.
The characters aren’t likable, the story is predictable and the humor is either disgusting, obnoxious, or uncomfortable. The Wrong Missy is a mess of a film and it’s not really worth your time.
It’s the most loving tribute to cinema and to Ingmar Bergman, set in world that feels so habitable that I felt like only re-watching this for eternity, because of how inviting it looks and feels.