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Leave No Trace
(2018)
A passionate,
humanistic tale. - Rolling Stone
Director: Debra Granik, rated PG
  Starring:
Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeff Kober, Dale Dickey, Dana Millican, Michael
Prosser, Derek John Drescher, Isaiah Stone
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- good
"We're in their clothes.
We're in their house. We're eating their food. We're doing their
work. We have adapted." - Will
Why watch this? It
is an engrossing story of a damaged man doing the best he can to
be a father.
Plot Summary:
A military veteran suffering from PTSD lives a contented,
isolated existence with his teenage daughter in a massive public
park on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Their hidden,
self-sufficient lifestyle is upended when they are spotted by a
jogger and taken into the care of social services. As they are
integrated into a more conventional housing arrangement, the
father struggles to adapt to modern society while his daughter
begins to long for a stable community connection, creating a
profound rift in their bond.
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Dad's Preview:
Where films set in nightclubs and rural cityscapes
consistently bore me, films about simplicity call my
name. Similar to 2020's
Nomadland, this story follows a man, Will, and
his teenage daughter, Tom, who live in a state park
off the grid. They are doing ok, but are discovered
and brought in for "questioning". Will is a veteran
whose PTSD makes normal living nearly impossible. Tom is
a normal teenager. The subtle power of this film is the
under-stated performances by its two leads. Ben Foster
is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, and he is
a master at portraying suppressed angst. Newcomer
Thomasin McKenzie is likewise brilliant. This slow,
thoughtful case study requires our empathy as it focuses
on a man's internal torment, and his daughter's desire
to interact with others after a life of solitude.
Humans, after all, are social creatures. That is, when
not tortured by the mental scars of war. |
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Bron Creative,
Topic Studios, Harrison Prod.,
Reisman Prod., Still Rolling Prod.; Bleecker Street
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