Review of Leave No Trace (2018) by Jluis_001 — 28 Sep 2018

Leave No Trace in a way is a minimalist film, definitely discreet. Based on Peter Rock's novel ''My Abandonment'' which is inspired by the true story of a veteran and his 12-year-old daughter who were discovered living in a Portland's Forest Park.

The way in which the film begins if you didn't know what you were dealing with, you might believe that it's a story located in a post-apocalyptic world, but that's simply not the case. Will (Ben Foster) is an Army veteran who suffers from PTSD and has exiled himself to live in isolation in a national park with his teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie).

The film gives us few clues but they're enough to understand the background of Will's character and in that way to better understand his relationship with Tom, which eventually begins to build the perspective between both of them. Especially Tom's perspective, which sets the foundation of the whole story and what eventually leads to its ending when they must take separate paths. Him for not being able to recover and wants to continue living isolated, while Tom decides that she cannot go with him again and needs to try to have a normal life.

Leave No Trace is certainly emotional but as I said, the approach is discreet, it's a sober and concise story. Its strengths are its protagonists and both Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie do an excellent job.

Although director Debra Manik had already directed a documentary in 2014, this film feels like a natural progression for what she did in ''Winter's Bone''.

Leave No Trace is not a grandiloquent or striking film but if you are looking for an intimate and fairly well made film, it's an excellent option.