Review of Leave No Trace (2018) by Kevin D — 21 Jul 2018

A pleasant walk through the forest.

Debra Granik directs another excellent film with Leave No Trace. It's quite similar in style to her last movie Winter's Bone with Jennifer Lawrence with its gritty realism and natural setting. Leave No Trace is less depressing and more hopeful for the future. It takes on heavy themes of PTSD, homelessness, and autonomy with a mature thoughtfulness. Leave No Trace stay with you with each scene stuck in your mind.

Granik directs with a grounded sense of realism. From the natural forest parks of Portland, Oregon as the setting to the true to life lack of diegetic music for the majority of the short running time. Leave No Trace is kept to intimate moments in a larger setting. Gorgeous establishing shots of the surrounding forests meet focused still shots of character faces for a stark contrast. Granik's direction is so focused on character feelings, reactions, and movement that the camera follows along with lovely wide shots and the occasional close up shots for emphasis. Leave No Trace is so sure of its narrative and how it gets there visually, you are compelling by the suspense of what will happen next.

Never dull in Leave No Trace, you are kept intrigued by the next sequence during its brisk 109 minute run time. The lack of a score forces the audience to focus their attention on the character development and interactions. I actually liked this aspect as I found myself more interested in the characters than the overall plot itself.

Speaking of the characters, the acting in Leave No Trace is top notch. Ben Foster is deeply moving and quite subtle when portraying the father figure. He has to play strong and certain, while conflicted by his emotional state. Foster does so much with so little dialogue that I'm impressed he managed pull off a very difficult role. The main standout to Leave No Trace, however, is Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. She gives such a nuanced performance for such a young actress. I found her delivery impeccable and her emotions believable. I look forward to her future roles. McKenzie is a wonderful new actress.

Overall, Leave No Trace is one of 2018's best films already. It touches on difficult subject matter that may have been otherwise too sensitive to depict. Yet, Leave No Trace delivers on its themes and performances with a wholly sincere and unique perspective.