Movie Paradise It seems like every year we get at least one movie about a family who lives out in the woods. In 2016 we got Captain Fantastic, in 2017 we got The Glass Castle, and now, in 2018, we get Leave No Trace. I always find these movies interesting, because they usually dive into the psychology and the philosophy behind living in the woods isolated from society. And with that usually comes some compelling storytelling and excellent performances. With Leave No Trace, Army veteran Will (Ben Foster) and his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) live out in the woods until they are forced to assimilate into society, which causes a divide between the two. I didn't really know anything about this movie going in but, as part of my new initiative to see a new film in theaters every Saturday morning, I went to go see it, and I quite liked it. While I'd say I probably like Captain Fantastic and The Glass Castle more, Leave No Trace is a great drama featuring two strong performances from two talented actors. This film isn't going to win any Oscars or make any big splashes in pop culture, but for what it is as a film, Leave No Trace is certainly worth the watch... a

tonypeacock-1 Great screenplay and performances make this low budget film the best of 2018 so far. You don't need millions of pounds of CGI, A list 'actors' and massive publicity campaigns to make a damn good film. The film is basically about a U.S. army veteran Will (Ben Foster) with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who brings his teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) in the wild, literally. On public woodland in Oregon. Obviously these living conditions don't go down to well with the local social services and Will and Tom are rehoused in a tree cutter businessman/farmer's spare property. The arrangement is grudgingly followed for a few weeks to appease the authorities before Will returns to his survival in the wild lifestyle. To escape the local authorities moving to an area far away. (Leaving no trace!) Will and Tom are eventually taken in by a trailer community when Will is immobilised by injury for a while. The inner demons of Will are revealed by other vets with similar issues. The performances of the unknown cast are excellent. I did wonder about the history of Tom's mother. That is not explored. The relationship between father and daughter is what makes this film for me. The woody Oregon environment makes for a great cinematic backdrop. I reiterate how deep the film has an effect on the viewer. For such a low budget film with a limited release a triumph.

DJKwa //Revelation Film Festival Review//If you've ever gone camping you'll know the feeling of tranquillity and stillness that comes with sitting nestled amongst the trees away from the noise. For war veteran Will (Ben Forster), who suffers from PTSD, leaving the noise behind is a necessity not a respite. Living with his daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), in an urban park in Portland, Oregon, their lives are uprooted when social services mandate their return to society.The most surprising thing about Leave No Trace is how it reveals itself to be an unlikely coming of age story. While Will believes living off the grid is in the best interest of his daughter, the change in circumstances complicates Tom's feelings. Her transformation from being her father's daughter to someone able to make her own decisions leads to some heart-wrenching scenes where she stands up to Will as an equal. Like Jennifer Lawrence before her, Granik has made another find in Thomasin McKenzie, who is certainly one to watch.

Howard Schumann Based on the novel "My Abandonment" by Peter Rock and adapted from a screenplay by Granik and Anne Rosellini, Debra Granik's Leave No Trace is the story of Will (Ben Foster, "Hostiles"), a troubled army veteran suffering from PTSD who lives with his teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, "The Changeover") in a camp they built themselves in the woods near Portland, Oregon. Like Granik's 2010 film "Winter's Bone" that chronicled the lives of people living on the margins in the rural Ozarks of Missouri, Leave No Trace is an uncompromising look at a non-conforming father and his young daughter living off the grid, doing their best to survive in a society they do not understand or wish to be a part of. Opening in a heavily forested area in a large public park, cinematographer Michael McDonough ("Sunset Song") creates a mood of isolation far removed from the world of television, computers, and smart phones. Will and daughter Tom, remarkably performed by newcomer McKenzie, chop wood, play chess, cook their own meals, and train themselves to avoid being detected. There are no flashbacks and little backstory and it is left to us to guess how long they have lived there, what Will's military trauma was like, or what happened to Tom's mother. What is certain, however, is that they are not on a summer vacation. When they go into the city for groceries, the sudden contrast between the forest and the shrieking sounds of city life is instantly jarring. Buying groceries, however, is not all Will has come for. Visiting the VA hospital, he picks up prescriptions for painkillers which he sells for cash to hangers on living on the outskirts of the park. It is his only means of support. His independent way of life is threatened, however, when Tom is inadvertently seen by a passing jogger who alerts the authorities and they are forced out of hiding by the police and their sniffing dogs. Separated, Tom is sent to a detention center for young girls, while Will must take a series of psychological tests where he has to confront thoughts and feelings that he had long suppressed. Before being torn apart, Will reassures his daughter that "we can still have our own thoughts," but it is unconvincing.Though they are being "processed" and are in effect beholden to the system, Granik avoids the kind of scapegoating depicted in films such as the recent "I, Daniel Blake," which shows all government workers as ogres. Here they are real people who treat Will and Tom with respect and a grudging admiration. Father and daughter are eventually reunited on a farm where Will helps the owner Mr. Walters (Jeff Kober, "Sully") harvest Christmas trees. As they settle into their new environment, Tom learns how to ride a bike, Dale (Dale Dickey, "Hell or High Water"), a local woman, shows her how to approach a bee hive safely, they attend a church service, and Tom meets a young boy (Isaiah Stone, "American Honey") who invites her to a 4-H meeting where they are taught to train rabbits. Though she is beginning to like it, Will is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with living in a community that requires him to give of himself to others. Still disturbed by night terrors, the look on his face suggests that he is just biding his time until he can return to the woods. Fueled by the atmospheric original score of Dickon Hinchliffe ("Little Men"), Leave No Trace unfolds without manipulation or sentimentality. Unlike last year's "Captain Fantastic" which romanticized living outside of "the system," it is less of a statement about freedom from a system that one deems oppressive than about a man who has found a way to cope but is psychologically closed off from others, unable or unwilling to engage in the demands of accepted social interaction. The film does not exploit its characters or engage in "us against the world" messaging but reveals its inner truths with restraint and authenticity. Rather than showing the effects of a society in freefall, Granik makes us aware that there is still kindness left in the world. Though we can empathize with Will and Tom, we know too well that the universe is governed by impermanence and that eventually we all will have to let go of our attachments. To quote philosopher Henri Bergson, "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." Leave No Trace is not only a film about survival but also about the power of self creation.