Review of Leave No Trace (2018) by Ahmed A — 28 Sep 2018

-"Everything's different now.".

-"We can still think our own thoughts.".

The first movie that came to my mind after watching the opening scene from this movie is Captain Fantastic. While both movies share similar themes as they can be classified under the Survival Movies sub-genre, Leave No Trace is a completely different film. What makes this movie different and special is what it implies not what it shows at all. Like Rebel Without a Cause, this movie demands from the viewers to put themselves in the main characters' shoes. Without doing so, you'll not be able to relate or feel anything, and the movie would feel very bland and cold for you. Because this movie in particular stands out from the other movies of its kind due to.

Its non-dramatized approach to its subject matter. It feels so authentic and realistic, and that's exactly what some people find somewhat off-putting. But that wasn't, by any means, the case for me. I found this movie so moving, and I related to the characters so much.

Without Debra Granik's nuanced and delicate direction this movie could have been stiff and boring. But Debra Granik added some small, yet very effective, touches to emphasize on some sweet memories, and therefore make them stuck in our heads, and, before everything, in our hearts to evoke a catharsis in the audience by the end of the movie.

Both Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie delivered brilliant performances that feel as authentic as Debra Granik's serene direction. The result is a movie that massively succeeded to be heart-breaking without the slightest reliance on dramatic clichés such as the highs and lows we often see in this kind of movies.

All that being said, halfway through the movie, there was a slight tendency to continue the story in a formulaic way. Fortunately, that didn't happen. But that doesn't mean that I found the first, and especially the first, and the third act more cohesive, and more original as well. With more deviling into Ben Foster's character, Will, the second act could have been not only less flawed, but also potentially the strongest among the other two acts. With these problems, I found that I understood Will state of mind more than I felt it. That said, as the movie progresses I became more and more invested in his character, hence more emotionally connected to it.

What really impressed me is Thomasin McKenzie's performance. Her character, Tom, is incredibly compelling and complex, and the way we get to know her characteristics from is absolutely genius! Just from the dialogue and the naturalistic way Thomasin McKenzie responds in every single situation we know that Tom is grateful, caring, honest and very frank, and afraid of change like her father, but also has an entirely different reason for being so.

Leave No Trace is, first and foremost, a deeply moving humanistic tale thanks to its unconventional and unpredictable approach to its subject matter, and the honest and authentic performances from the underrated Ben Foster, and especially from the massively talented young actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.

(8/10).