Leave No Trace movie review

Movie Title: Leave No Trace NOW ON DVD and Streaming!

Grade: B+

Rating: PG, 109 minutes

In a Nutshell: This is a movie that most people missed at the Box Office. It came and went so quietly as its own screenwriting. Bleecker Street brings us an interesting story about a father and daughter that is heartbreaking and insightful. It definitely leaves a trace on your heart. Based on a real family and the book, LEAVE NO TRACE is a quiet walk through the life of a homeless veteran who faces his debilitating struggles as a single dad. The acting is fantastic.

Tips for parents:

Kids might be bored while they “wait for something to happen.”
It shows a very loving relationship between father and daughter.
It made me think about my own parents and how their life passions and dreams have affected my own. As parents, we need to allow our children to find their own life, interests, and talents too.

Uplifting theme:

Family
The kindness of strangers
PTSD is addressed.
Freedom

Things I liked:

Ben Foster has been making films and TV for over 20 years and has an impressive filmography. Most recently, I saw him in Hostiles . His performance is always solid, emotional, and gritty.
Thomasin McKenzie give outstanding performance and was perfect as a young, naive teenager. The character arc for her role in the movie was the most intriguing to watch. She’s absolutely lovely and has a bright future in Hollywood if she wants it. She’s a young actress from New Zealand. I had never seen her before, although she has acted before. We’ll see her again in the 2020 release of Top Gun: Maverick.
Beautiful cinematography and nature sequences.
The film is a gentle reminder that not all vets live the rest of their lives draped in an American flag at a parade.
Director/writer Debra Granik gives us a very different kind of thoughtful war movie.
The setting is Portland, Oregon, which has a sizable homeless population.
The 4-H scene actually includes real kids with their rabbits from the Oregon 4-H Youth Development program.
Act Three of the movie was filmed at Squaw Mountain Ranch, the oldest nudist club west of the Mississippi. Thankfully, you don’t see anyone naked in the movie.
It’s very realistic.
The quiet moments between father and daughter are very tender.

Things I didn’t like:

I thought it was weird that the daughter’s name was Tom, but in real life, the actress’ name is Thomasin.
It is very slow-moving. Some people who are used to fast-moving action movies might not be comfortable with the pace and lack of explosions and stunts. This movie is a character study with a lot of silence.
The title LEAVE NO TRACE is a phrase that the Boy Scouts of America use to remember to leave nature exactly how they found when they’re camping or out on a hike in nature. It’s a clever title for this movie, but there was definitely no Scout tie-in. Will and Tim did leave a trace in nature, so that didn’t apply. They left an emotional trace on people as they slipped in and out of people’s lives. The father, Will, didn’t want to leave a trace, but he did.
No marketing. I never saw a trailer or movie poster for it when it was released in theaters.

Funny lines: