The latest from “Winter’s Bone”
director Debra Granik is the quietly powerful “Leave
No Trace,” which continues the filmmaker’s gravitation toward stories of people
on the margins. The film tells the story of Will (Ben Foster) and Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), a father and daughter living
off the grid, squatting on public park land in Portland, Oregon.
They’ve clearly moved around throughout Tom’s childhood, but
seem to have been settled in the forests of the Pacific Northwest for some
time; long enough to have developed a familiar routine and a comfortable
existence for themselves. They’re happy on their own, venturing into
civilization only to buy some necessary supplies from the supermarket or to the
VA for Will’s medication, which he immediately then sells off to other vets.
But that all changes when a jogger spots Tom and alerts the
authorities, who promptly arrive to remove father and daughter from the land.
The pair are turned over to social services, who begin efforts to reintegrate
them into society, securing them a place to live and a job for Will working at
a Christmas tree farm. Tom is adaptable, finding that she quite likes having
other people around, but the change is much harder on her father.
Suffering from severe PTSD, Will wants nothing more than to
close himself off from the world, but must grapple with the realization that his
chosen life might not be what’s best for his daughter. He wants to protect her,
even as Tom demonstrates an increasing need for connection and a community
beyond what he can provide.
Told with real compassion, “Leave No Trace” is a story
without any real villains; most people Tom and Will encounter
want to help, including those from the social services agency. At its heart,
the film is really a coming-of-age story, about a child growing beyond what
they’ve been taught by the adults in their life; when we learn that the life
that our parents have made for us is not necessarily the one we want for
ourselves.
With “Winter’s Bone,” Granik kick-started Jennifer Lawrence’s career, and I
wouldn’t be surprised if “Leave No Trace” does the same for Thomasin
Harcourt McKenzie. She gives a remarkable, natural performance, one that allows
us to see Tom grow and mature without us realizing it’s
happening. Granik never over-explains anything,
putting trust in her audience to pay attention to the details. And it’s those
sharply observed details that make “Leave No Trace” so deeply emotional, and
one of the best films of the year.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2018.
