Leave No Trace (2018)
…………………………………………………
Leave No Trace Movie Review
Leave No Trace is a 2018 drama film directed by Debra Granik and starring Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. It’s a very strong, emotionally powerful movie.
………………………………………………….
“We can still think our own thoughts“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It follows a father and his daughter who live isolated in a big Oregon park. Eventually, they are approached by the authorities and relocated to the farmhouse, but the father escapes in spite of his daughter wanting to stay. First and foremost, this is simply not ‘Captain Fantastic’. It’s never as great as that movie was, it’s treading familiar ground and it has two big issues which prevented me from liking it more. One is the lack of more dialogue and the other is the lack of a backstory which was needed, but we never really got it.
However, it’s otherwise a very good, effective drama which is slow paced, but involving to watch from start to finish owing to an interesting story, change of locations and high attention to detail. It’s at its best when it’s dealing with emotion and certainly that powerful, very moving ending is the scene highlight of the film.
Ben Foster is truly excellent as Will. I definitely wanted more from him in terms of the dialogue and backstory as he remains an overly silent character, but the inner turmoil inside him is very well showcased. Tom is the reason to watch the film as her transition is powerful and heartbreaking to follow. Thomasin McKenzie gave an outstanding performance at such a young age. She delivered an Oscar-worthy, emotional and very realistic performance that needs to be respected.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Other characters in Leave No Trace are maybe a bit too good-natured, but the community people are especially sweet and likable. The dialogue is strong when it is there, but then again it’s not overly present and there is way too much silence here for my liking. I still loved the wilderness sequences, but I wanted more conversations between the two. But I really enjoyed watching this slower, intimate film with each of their locations being well established and interesting. I just wanted a bigger commentary on PTSD and the overall situation they got themselves into. The pacing, direction and cinematography are all excellent though.
Leave No Trace is lacking in dialogue and backstory, but it’s a particularly powerful emotional experience with the daughter’s transition being moving to watch and the ending is heartbreaking. The film is slow, but always engaging to watch and powered by excellent performances from Ben Foster and particularly Thomasin McKenzie who’s simply stupendous in her great role. It ain’t ‘Captain Fantastic’, but it’s still a very good movie in its own right.
