Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie gives a fantastic performance as a daughter who wants to move on and become independent instead of living of the fat of the land with her father. If you enjoyed The Survivalist, Captain Fantastic, Hunt for the Wilderpeople you may like this. There are a few subtle moments that reminded me of Tender Mercies too. It's a very tender film, especially how the couple interact with nature. The focus of the film is on the father daughter relationship arc, and how it changes, and this is key to the films strength as it focuses on the emotion of the strive for independence instead of the chase from the authorities. A really beautiful film. 8/10

Haunted by the ghosts of his past, a father lives with his daughter in the woods. Things become complicated when the girl becomes a teen and is curious to meet the world.

A slow paced movie with a well told story and an outstanding performance by Thomasin McKenzie! Do not expect any action, as you'll be disappointed.

A slow burn but man it's worth it. A beautiful film that really hits you where it hurts.
Fosters skills are already solidified but McKenzie I'd only seen in Jojo Rabbit previously but this is an absolutely stellar performance.
One to watch out for in the future for sure.

Raw and methodical, Leave No Trace is an unapologetic look at mental health, one that should not be overlooked due to it's slow pacing and somewhat heavy metaphors. Thomasin and Ben both say so much with so little, truly great performances from both. A slow burn, but definitely worth the investment.

Deeply respectful of its subject

Leave no Trace could, perhaps, be described as a darker version of Matt Ross's Captain Fantastic (2016). Directed by Debra Granik (Winter's Bone), and written for the screen by Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on Peter Rock's 2010 novel, My Abandonment, the film tells the story of Will (Ben Foster), a veteran suffering from PTSD, who is living off the grid with his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie). Making their home in a national park in Portland, Oregon, they embody many of the concepts underpinning Emerson's notions of self-reliance; individual authority, nonconformity, solitude, internal self-truth, with Will especially valuing freedom of thought. However, when a jogger sees Tom, park wardens are dispatched to track them down, and social services open an investigation into their situation. Will is aghast, resenting the infringement upon his autonomy, recalling Iain King's statement that

"autonomy should only be infringed if a person is unable to know their own interests on a particular matter."

This certainly isn't the case with Will, and he sees no reason why he and Tom shouldn't be allowed to continue to live in their own way.

For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/tNtkN

Adventures of the nocturnal dirt people

I absolutely loved Captain Fantastic. This movie isn't all that similar to that one. It's not really as dramatic caise it doesn't have that emotional depth, or compelling characters and story.

It's very slow and blah. It's an extremely low key movie, to the point your mind may start wandering a little bit during the most boring parts. It was never really all that clear how they ended up living in the woods or why. I mean, yes, it probably has something to do with war PTSD or something, but the subject is never really brought up.

I liked that in the end the daughter decided to carve her own path, though.

A solid movie about an unusual father and daughter relationship. Both Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie give great performances. The cinematography looks nice with all the forest scenery.

Good, good movie. Ben Foster is great...almost as great as Thomasin. Great actors the both of them. This was a small story told with so much emotion. It might look boring and is only rated PG, but it's solid. Check it out.

It made me cry and I liked it, overall. Huge fan of slow movies here. However, the lack of background did upset me a lot. If only they let us knew why they ended up like that...

Tore me up. Everything the other reviewers are saying is spot on. But man, I am still feeling the feels.