Leave No Trace
Cast Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie
◖109 minutes ◖Drama ◖G ◖AD
◖In-seat and on the Qantas Entertainment App The middle of a forest in Oregon is the unlikely setting for this touching story from writer-director Debra Granik as it explores the bond between a father and daughter. Troubled war veteran, Will (Ben Foster), and his teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) live in their own bubble outside society. Just as Granik showed her eye for spotting talent when she cast Jennifer Lawrence in the 2010 drama Winter’s Bone, she’s found a gem in the talented teenager from New Zealand, whose performance is nothing short of astonishing.
Young Tom has adjusted to the isolated lifestyle and we learn that she’s been well taught by her father. Their relationship is deeply rooted in unstated drama of the past; his nightmare featuring the sounds of an approaching helicopter is our only clue. The performances are superb, the dynamic intense.
The mainstay of our emotional journey is the way the two must adapt when their isolated camp is discovered and they are moved to normal society. The triggering of major changes tests their bond and cracks start to appear.