Review of Leave No Trace (2018) by Adam M — 06 Sep 2018
The sound design in this movie is fantastic. It so simply and concretely establishes for the audience why Will can't live in civilization. The wilderness is quiet, it's tranquil. The city is composed of a dense, unparsable soundscape that hits you like a ton of bricks.
When he has a job cutting down trees, the sound of industry is overwhelming. When he has fallen in the woods, he is haunted by the sounds of a hunter's gunshots. His PTSD manifesting sonically so clearly allows the audience to understand him, even when we don't like his choices.
Thomasin McKenzie is brilliant as Tom. With very little dialogue she is able to have a drastic but quiet change in character. She's the same person, but her values are drastically shaken before becoming perfectly concrete.
It's a subtle difference that comes across beautifully in the central father/daughter relationship. It's a heartbreaking film at times, but beautiful and compelling all the same.
This review of Leave No Trace (2018) was written by Adam M on 06 Sep 2018.
Leave No Trace has generally received very positive reviews.
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