Leave No Trace
A small mistake derails the ideal lives of a father and his 13-year-old daughter in this drama from Oscar-nominated director Debra Granik (Winter's Bone).
"For years Will (Ben Foster, Hell or High Water) and his teenage daughter, Tom (New Zealander Thomasin McKenzie) have lived off the grid, blissfully undetected by authorities in a vast nature reserve on the edge of Portland, Oregon. When a chance encounter blows their cover, they’re removed from their camp and put into the charge of social services. Struggling to adapt to their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a perilous journey back to the wilderness, where they are finally forced to confront conflicting desires — a longing for community versus a fierce need to live apart." (Sundance Film Festival)
- Director:
- Debra Granik ('Winter's Bone', 'Down to the Bone', 'Stray Dog')
- Writer:
- Debra GranikAnne Rosellini
- Cast:
- Ben FosterThomasin McKenzieJeff KoberDale DickeyDana MillicanAyanna BerkshireAlyssa LynnRyan Joiner
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressFor fans of the director's "Winter's Bone"... this unconventional family portrait shares many qualities with the 2010 film, including profound empathy for backwoods characters and the discovery of yet another young talent in Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.
Vanity Fair
press[Director Debra Granik] made a film of grace and power, a story of people lost and found in America that often shows us at our noble and humble best. How rare and refreshing that is these days.
Stuff
pressThis is a quietly enthralling film that never over-plays its hand, resorts to histrionics and contrived stand-offs or forgets to recognise the undeniable dignity of its characters.
Screen Daily
pressIt's a film that never overwhelms but it lingers, leaving its mark on the viewer.
New Zealand Herald
pressThe film's stunning cinematography and Foster and McKenzie's muscular performances save the story from meandering too far off track.
Hollywood Reporter
pressAn absorbing, delicately directed and acted father-daughter drama.
Collider
pressThis is a movie driven by filmmaking, and [Debra] Granik's skill behind the camera drives a lot of the narrative forward. That and, of course, [Harcourt] McKenzie's performance.
Saw this at the Film Festival... totally wow! Ben Foster is awesome! His performance as a man trying to disappear was riveting. And Thomasin McKenzie does such a great job of the daughter... looking forward to see what other acting she does in the future. This isn't a fun movie, it is very gut wrenching and one of these movies that gets you thinking......
beautifully shot Oregon forest life, understated, spare script, and accomplished performances, Debra Granik has directed a film of lingering memorability. go girl!
Saw this in the festival- it was probably my fave film. I was still thinking about it days later. The performances are sooooo good. A captivating film- hard to pinpoint exactly how this is so good, it just is.
Director Debra Granik follows up Winter’s Bone (the film that launched Jennifer Lawrence’s career), with a father-daughter relationship movie fuelled by standout performances by Ben Foster, and newcomer Kiwi, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie as 13-year-old Tom. Foster plays Will, an army vet living off the grid, bringing his daughter up as a back-to-nature,...
Will and Tom live off-the-grid in a forest outside Portland, Oregon. In other words, they are homeless. Will is a war veteran who is either not keen on being around people or living indoors (or both), which puts him offside with "the authorities". Tom is his "home" schooled teenage daughter. This is more Tom's film than Will's film and showing both her...
Variety
pressFor fans of the director's "Winter's Bone"... this unconventional family portrait shares many qualities with the 2010 film, including profound empathy for backwoods characters and the discovery of yet another young talent in Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.
Vanity Fair
press[Director Debra Granik] made a film of grace and power, a story of people lost and found in America that often shows us at our noble and humble best. How rare and refreshing that is these days.
Stuff
pressThis is a quietly enthralling film that never over-plays its hand, resorts to histrionics and contrived stand-offs or forgets to recognise the undeniable dignity of its characters.
Screen Daily
pressIt's a film that never overwhelms but it lingers, leaving its mark on the viewer.
New Zealand Herald
pressThe film's stunning cinematography and Foster and McKenzie's muscular performances save the story from meandering too far off track.
Hollywood Reporter
pressAn absorbing, delicately directed and acted father-daughter drama.
Collider
pressThis is a movie driven by filmmaking, and [Debra] Granik's skill behind the camera drives a lot of the narrative forward. That and, of course, [Harcourt] McKenzie's performance.
Saw this at the Film Festival... totally wow! Ben Foster is awesome! His performance as a man trying to disappear was riveting. And Thomasin McKenzie does such a great job of the daughter... looking forward to see what other acting she does in the future. This isn't a fun movie, it is very gut wrenching and one of these movies that gets you thinking......
beautifully shot Oregon forest life, understated, spare script, and accomplished performances, Debra Granik has directed a film of lingering memorability. go girl!
Saw this in the festival- it was probably my fave film. I was still thinking about it days later. The performances are sooooo good. A captivating film- hard to pinpoint exactly how this is so good, it just is.
Director Debra Granik follows up Winter’s Bone (the film that launched Jennifer Lawrence’s career), with a father-daughter relationship movie fuelled by standout performances by Ben Foster, and newcomer Kiwi, Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie as 13-year-old Tom. Foster plays Will, an army vet living off the grid, bringing his daughter up as a back-to-nature,...
Will and Tom live off-the-grid in a forest outside Portland, Oregon. In other words, they are homeless. Will is a war veteran who is either not keen on being around people or living indoors (or both), which puts him offside with "the authorities". Tom is his "home" schooled teenage daughter. This is more Tom's film than Will's film and showing both her...
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