Leave No Trace (2018)
A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.
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So much average
Lack of good storyline.
Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Leave No Trace is inoffensive and charming, but it isn't particularly memorable. Perhaps melodramatic or emotional types might disagree with my impression, but it's my impression. It's a pleasant enough film, though.
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
I guess I should have followed my instincts and walked out of the theater when I got bored at the 20-minute mark so I could see something else. This movie takes until almost the very end to build any palpable tension. I even found myself greatly disliking one of the protagonists, which is a bad sign. Overall, not only was I not engaged, I was not entertained, nor was I left to ponder any thought-provoking moments. Oscar-hopeful, this is not.
Rather than pen a hefty set of paragraphs, let me point out some brilliant but tiny artistic touches that compensate for what some viewers might find the movie's slow action. I do not think they rise to the level of genuine spoilers: a) the name given to one of the 4H club's rabbits, b) "Tom's" subtle but poignant facial gestures, and c) a pair of wordless sounds she and her father use for secret communication. (As with much fine art, less is more...)