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Leave No Trace
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
It’s really been a while since I have seen a Ben Foster flick with him in the starring role. I have no idea what happened to his Hollywood career as he was a bit thing in the early 2000’s, up until about 2013 or so. He started out as the creepy kid with his awkward facial expressions and almost evil sounding voice, but became a bigger and bigger star until he was starring Jason Statham films and was being groomed as “the next big thing”. Then suddenly he vanished off the face of the earth and pulled a disappearing act. Looking at his IMDB page it looks like he’s been busy with with smaller projects, and outside of the FANTASTIC Hell or High Water and a brief role in Warcraft, he’s not been doing any major studio releases until now. Leave No Trace is a fantastic role for the character actor, as it allows him to play a man who’s a certain amount “off” from the rest of us, and in doing so elevates and already good film even futher.
Will (Ben Foster) and his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) are your normal father and daughter duo. They get up in the morning, they do their chores, they cook their meals, and then go to sleep. The only thing is, they’re not that normal to most of society. You see, Will and Tom don’t live in a house. They live in the middle of a national park in the Oregon area, completely off the grid. When someone notices Tom in the park, the authorities are alerted and the duo are brought back into the “system” (something Will is very adamant about not returning to), and their lives turned topsy turvey. Refusing to give Tom up to the foster system, Will agrees to follow the rules and regulations of “civilized” society, and dots all of his I’s and crosses his legal T’s by holding down a job on a local farm. However, this is not the life the two of them want, and soon enough Tom and Will are back on the road, making sure to never leave a trace.
Leave No Trace is a story about survival in the wilderness, but it is so much more than that. The film doesn’t beat you over the head with the message, but as the low key story of Will and Tom surviving in the wilds unfold you can start to see the WHY the two of them are there. This is just as much a story about PTSD and the effects that it has on our veterans as it is about creating an engaging adventure story. The signs are there, they’re subtle but obvious if you know what you’re looking for, but the narrative doesn’t throw it in your face. You get a glimpse at Will’s hangups when he visits the V.A. for his “trip to town”, and with little phrases and slips of the tongue you start to realize WHY Will is trying to live off the grid, refusing to allow them near society and needing his space.
While there are small roles played by other people throughout the film, this is really a two person show. Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie take up 90% of the screen time and they do so flawlessly. There’s something about Ben Foster that allows him to play ostracized characters so well. He’s done so a dozen times before, but as he’s aged he fits the mold of the PTSD ridden soldier who’s just off enough to loathe society, but centered enough to recognize his duty to family. Thomasin has only had a few feature film roles up until now, but she exudes a gentle sense of strength and vulnerability that fits in perfectly with her character. She’s been raised to be strong and self reliant, but she’s still a teenage girl, and one who has just made a step into a bigger world and the natural confusion and conflicted feelings is ripe in her performance.
Rating:
Rated PG for thematic material throughout
Video:
Audio:
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Extras:
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind the Scenes Vignettes
• Location Scout Photo Gallery
Final Score:
Leave No Trace is a powerful drama dealing with mental illness, survival, familiar bonds and a certain amount of unwanted “help” given by a society who cannot deal with those who color outside of the lines. The film is a slow burner, and is more of a slice of life film than your typical 3 arc story, but it is a great film and one that is well worth watch. It’s lush with visual treats as well as a simplistic story that is a bit more complex than it seems upon first glance. Foster and McKenzie are fantastic as the father and daughter team, and Universal’s Blu-ray is top notch on the technical spec level. The extras are a bit on the mediocre side, but what are there are definitely worth digging into. Recommended.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Michael Draper
Directed by: Debra Granik
Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Peter Rock (Based on the book "My Abandonment" by)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Recommendation: Good Watch
