‘Pain lets you know you ain’t dead yet…’
NYC director Debra Granik launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence back in 2010 with the release of the Oscar winning Winter’s Bone. That film was a meditation on family and determination set in a wilderness that was both beautiful and dangerous. Swap out Jennifer Lawrence for Thomasin McKenzie and you have Leave No Trace. That’s not to say that Granik is a one trick pony, rather she has expanded on the themes and ideas of Winter’s Bone to create something that is almost as good.
Will (Ben Foster) is a damaged army vet who struggles with the rules and regulations imposed by normal society. Will and his daughter Tom (McKenzie) lead an almost idyllic lifestyle in one of America’s sprawling national parks. When their blissful existence is shattered, Will must decide what is best for both himself, and for the daughter that he loves.
Filmed on location in the vast beauty of the Portland wilderness, Leave No Trace takes full advantage of it’s gorgeous locale, thus enabling long stretches with little to no dialogue. The camera basks in blue skies and raindrops dripping from luscious, green leaves. When either Will or Tom do speak, the dialogue is achingly beautiful in its simplicity. It is a testament to both Foster and McKenzie that they can say more with a glance than most actors could with a lengthy monologue. Together, the two share a believably realistic chemistry with Will’s maternal pride palpable throughout.
A friend commented that this isn’t a film that they would rush to watch again, and that is true. It’s certainly not dull or lacking in action, but it is quite a bleak film. Vitally, the all too common mundanity of an ex veteran being cast on the scrap heap is underpinned by green shoots of hope bursting through the dark soil of post traumatic stress syndrome.
Based on her current trajectory, Thomasin McKenzie could be destined to follow in Jennifer Lawrence’s footsteps, but Leave No Trace is no vehicle. It’s a beautiful movie in its own right. It was Mark Kermode’s favourite film of 2018. Say no more.