Leave No Trace - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Leave No Trace

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
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.

Still, the narrative of survival and familial drama is just as potent as the subtle story of PTSD. Will and Tom have formed a unique bond due to their life on the run, but this integration into society has thrown a monkey wrench into their plans. Tom gets a taste of life with actual people, and like a person who hasn’t tasted good food before, suddenly realizes that she has a taste for it. However, Will’s problems and psychological issues keep him pushing to go on the run, so when he forces their move back to the old life style, Tom recognizes the void in her life that she didn’t even realize was there before. Now the two of them have to figure out who they will follow. Will Tom go out on her own and live among the rest of society, or does Will have to flex and sacrifice for his daughter?

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:

The 1.85:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray is a beautiful example of digital photography done right, as the green and rich looking Oregon (and Washington) wilderness is on full display. While maintaining a fairly neutral looking color grading system, the forest greens take front seat most of the time, just slathering the bright leafy green shades everywhere. The cinematography reveals incredible amounts of detail, ranging from slightly rough and receding hairline of Ben Foster, to the creases and cracks on the giant trees in the forest. There are some shots that look a bit flat and soft upon inspection, but for a majority of the time the film is nothing but pure eye candy. The black levels maintain a healthy depth to them, with very little digital artifacting (besides a few shots that show some digital noise here and there), making me give a solid thumbs up for the visual presentation.







Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is capable on all fronts, delivering a nicely nuanced track that delivers the goods on a fairly low key sound design. Dialog is the central focus of the mix, and it replicates the vocals with no issues whatsoever (besides Ben Foster mumbling every once in a while). However, it’s the little sounds in the surround channels and mains that flesh out the track much more fully. The birds chirping in the forest, the rumbling of a saw in the distance, or the echoing of a hunter’s gunshot in the Washington wilderness all make for for a wonderfully accurate and pleasing audio mix. LFE is punchy and appropriately used throughout the film (the chainsaws, a crash here and there), but is never wildly obtrusive or used in a front and center type of way. An overall well balanced mix from Universal.


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Extras:

• Creating Leave No Trace - Featurette
• 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

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will check it out.

 

[Asere]

I too will check it out especially since it's rated Fresh by RT. Thanks for the review!

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ben Foster was great in 3:10/Yuma.

I'm on this flick... looks cool. Thanks for review on this one, Mike!

 

[Michael Scott]

Ben Foster was great in 3:10/Yuma.

I'm on this flick... looks cool. Thanks for review on this one, Mike!

except for X-Men: The Last Stand he's been good in just about everything he's in IMO