Leave No Trace (2018)

Leave No Trace (2018) is a quiet, deeply humane drama about connection, survival and the uneasy return to society. Will (Ben Foster), a haunted Iraq War veteran, and his thirteen-year-old daughter Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) have carved out a private, self-sufficient life living off the grid in the forests around Portland, Oregon. When a small mistake exposes them and social services intervene, they are placed into a foster setting and forced to confront the compromises of community, stability and conformity. As Tom tentatively discovers school, friendships and possibilities beyond the woods, Will struggles with PTSD and an urgent need to escape back to the life he knows. Watching the film is a meditative experience: slow, intimate pacing; naturalistic performances; and spare, luminous cinematography that makes the Pacific Northwest landscape feel both sanctuary and prison. Director Debra Granik (working from Peter Rock’s novel My Abandonment) favors observation over exposition, so emotion unfolds in small gestures — a look between father and daughter, the ritual of packing up camp, or the awkwardness of ordinary social routines. The result is emotionally restrained but powerful, with McKenzie’s quiet, curious presence and Foster’s taut vulnerability anchoring the story. The film explores themes of trauma, parenting, belonging and the tension between freedom and safety. It’s affecting rather than sensational, often bittersweet, and invites reflection on what “home” really means. Viewers should expect a slow-burn drama that rewards patience: moving, melancholic, and thoughtfully composed, it will resonate most with those who appreciate character-driven, realistic films and contemplative storytelling. (Contains themes of PTSD and survival at the margins.)

Actors: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard

Director: Debra Granik

Runtime: 109 min

Genres: Adventure, Drama

6.2 /10 88 /100 7.1 /10 7.4 /10