Leave No Trace (film)
{{short description|2018 film directed by Debra Granik}}
{{for|the 2021 Polish film|Leave No Traces}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Leave No Trace
| image = Leave No Trace.png
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Debra Granik
| screenplay = {{Plain list|
- Debra Granik
- Anne Rosellini
}}
| based_on = {{based on|My Abandonment|Peter Rock}}
| producer = {{Plain list|
- Anne Harrison
- Linda Reisman
- Anne Rosellini
}}
| starring = {{Plain list|
}}
| cinematography = Michael McDonough
| editing = Jane Rizzo
| music = Dickon Hinchliffe
| production_companies = {{Plain list|
- Bron Creative
- Topic Studios
- Harrison Productions
- Reisman Productions
- Still Rolling Productions
}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
- Bleecker Street (United States)
- Sony Pictures Releasing International{{cite web |title= LEAVE NO TRACE |website= Stage6 |url=http://www.stage6films.com/movies/leave-no-trace }}
- Stage 6 Films (International)
}}
| released = {{film date|2018|1|20|Sundance|2018|06|29|United States}}
| runtime = 109 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $7.7 million{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Leave-No-Trace-(2018)#summary |title=Leave No Trace (2018) |work=The Numbers |access-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113210842/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Leave-No-Trace-(2018)#summary |url-status=live }}
}}
Leave No Trace is a 2018 American drama film directed by Debra Granik. The film is written by Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on Peter Rock's 2009 novel My Abandonment, which is based on a true story. The plot follows a military veteran father (Ben Foster) with post-traumatic stress disorder who lives in the forest with his young daughter (Thomasin McKenzie).
Leave No Trace premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and was theatrically released by Bleecker Street in the United States on June 29, 2018. It is the most reviewed film to hold list of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes on Rotten Tomatoes.
== Plot ==
Will, a veteran suffering from PTSD, lives with his teenage daughter, Tom, in the old growth Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. They live in isolation, using forest survival skills and entering the town only occasionally for food and supplies. Will makes their money by selling his VA-issued benzodiazepines to another homeless veteran.
After Tom is spotted in the woods by a jogger, they are arrested by park rangers and detained by social services. They are assessed and Tom is found to be educationally advanced for her age despite not attending school. They found a house to live in on a Christmas tree farm in rural Oregon in exchange for Will's work on the farm. Will grudgingly begins work packaging trees, but is bothered by the helicopters used to move them. Tom meets a local boy who is building his own tiny house, and he introduces her to the local 4-H youth club. Social services continue to check on them and require constant form filling.
One morning Will suddenly decides to leave. Tom follows reluctantly. They return to their camp in the park, but find it has been destroyed. Will and Tom try to travel in a railroad boxcar but eventually catch a ride with a trucker who takes them to Washington state and drops them off, in a remote forest area. Cold and darkness force them to build a temporary forest survival shelter for the night. The next day they discover a vacant cabin and move in. Will leaves to find food but does not return. The next morning, Tom discovers him unconscious at the bottom of a ravine with a seriously injured foot. She gets help from local quadbikers, who take them to their mobile home community. Tom refuses to let Will be taken to a hospital. Dale, a local woman, calls a friend who is a former Army medic to treat Will's injury.
Will and Tom are given an empty trailer in the community while Will's injuries heal. The medic also suffers from PTSD and lends his service dog to help Will with his nightmares. A local teaches Tom about the beehives. Tom likes their new home and tries to make a rental agreement with Dale, the trailer's owner, without telling Will. Eventually, Will insists they leave. Tom protests, telling him "the same thing that's wrong with you isn't wrong with me". After leaving the RV community, Tom stops and says to Will, "I know you would stay if you could". They tearfully hug and part ways. Tom returns to the trailer community, and Will returns to the woods. Later, Tom hangs a food package in the forest.
Cast
- Ben Foster as Will, a military veteran suffering from PTSD
- Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie as Tom, Will's daughter
- Jeff Kober as Mr. Walters, a tree farm owner
- Dale Dickey as Dale, the owner of the trailer park
- Dana Millican as Jean Bauer, Tom's social worker
- Michael Prosser as James, Will's social worker
- Derek John Drescher as Larry, a man with whom Will exchanges medications for money
- Isaiah Stone as Isaiah, a person whom Tom befriends
Production
The film was directed by Debra Granik and written by Granik and Anne Rosellini, based on the 2009 novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock.{{Cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2017/02/my-abandonment-director-debra-granik-financing-bron-creative-first-look-media-1201940954/ |title='My Abandonment' From 'Winter's Bone' Director Lands Financing From Bron, First Look |last=Busch |first=Anita |date=February 22, 2017 |work=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media |access-date=January 1, 2021 |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211213342/https://deadline.com/2017/02/my-abandonment-director-debra-granik-financing-bron-creative-first-look-media-1201940954/ |url-status=live }} The novel is based on a true story.{{cite news |first=James |last=Pressley |date=April 6, 2009 |title="My Abandonment:" a homeless girl's life, blessed and blighted |publisher=Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/my-abandonment-a-homeless-girls-life-blessed-and-blighted/ |access-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-date=February 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201195259/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/my-abandonment-a-homeless-girls-life-blessed-and-blighted/ |url-status=live }}
=Filming=
Principal photography took place during the spring of 2017 in Portland, Oregon.{{cite web|title=Movies with Oregon roots get Sundance Film Festival buzzing|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2018/01/movies_with_oregon_roots_get_s.html|website=OregonLive|last=Turnquist|first=Kristi|access-date=May 29, 2018|date=January 22, 2018|archive-date=May 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529130404/http://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2018/01/movies_with_oregon_roots_get_s.html|url-status=live}} Eagle Fern Park in Clackamas County was used for the main forest scenes.{{cite news |last=Mohan |first=Marc |title=Story of father and girl found living in Forest Park is now a movie |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/life_and_culture/erry-2018/06/79d99bc8ca2318/story_of_father_and_girl_found.html |access-date=June 20, 2018 |work=OregonLive |date=June 20, 2018 |archive-date=June 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620231933/https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/life_and_culture/erry-2018/06/79d99bc8ca2318/story_of_father_and_girl_found.html |url-status=live }}
Soundtrack
{{Main|Leave No Trace (soundtrack)}}
Dickon Hinchliffe, formerly of Tindersticks, composed the film score, released digitally by Lakeshore Records.{{cite web|title=New Soundtrack Releases: 'Leave No Trace', 'Black Mirror: Arkangel' Pre-order + New Bandcamp Releases and More!|url=https://filmmusicdaily.com/2018/06/29/new-soundtrack-leave-no-trace-black-arkangel-bandcamp/|website=Film Music Daily|last=Film Music Daily Staff|date=June 29, 2018|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052828/https://filmmusicdaily.com/2018/06/29/new-soundtrack-leave-no-trace-black-arkangel-bandcamp/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title='Leave No Trace' Soundtrack Details|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2018/06/15/leave-no-trace-soundtrack-details/|website=Film Music Reporter|last=filmmusicreporter|date=June 15, 2018|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052846/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2018/06/15/leave-no-trace-soundtrack-details/|url-status=live}} This is his second collaboration with Granik, after Winter's Bone.
Off-grid musician and former Dream Syndicate and Opal member Kendra Smith contributed the original song "Moon Boat" (her first solo recording since 1996), which plays over the end credits.{{cite AV media|title=Moon Boat|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnoME6cyi_U|website=YouTube|date=August 6, 2018|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=March 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318092708/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnoME6cyi_U&app=desktop|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Interview With Debra Granik, Director Of LEAVE NO TRACE|url=https://www.filminquiry.com/interview-debra-granik/|last=Strouse|first=Kristy|date=June 26, 2018|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052901/https://www.filminquiry.com/interview-debra-granik/|url-status=live}}
Oregon folk musicians Michael Hurley and Marisa Anderson have cameo performances in the film.{{cite web|title=Leave No Trace|url=https://www.female.com.au/leave-no-trace-pn.htm|website=Female.co.au|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052837/https://www.female.com.au/leave-no-trace-pn.htm|url-status=live}}
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/sundance-film-festival-2018-lineup-program-1202625522/|title=Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup|last=Debruge|first=Peter|date=November 29, 2017|work=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=January 17, 2018|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211170052/http://variety.com/2017/film/news/sundance-film-festival-2018-lineup-program-1202625522/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sundance.org/projects/leave-no-trace|title=Leave No Trace|website=Sundance Film Festival|publisher=The Sundance Institute|access-date=January 17, 2018|archive-date=January 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123091401/http://www.sundance.org/projects/leave-no-trace|url-status=live}} Shortly after, Bleecker Street acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.{{cite web|title=Debra Granik's 'Leave No Trace' Lands At Bleecker Street – Sundance|url=https://deadline.com/2018/01/debra-graniks-leave-no-trace-lands-at-bleecker-street-sundance-1202270748/|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Business Media|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|access-date=January 27, 2018|date=January 27, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204657/https://deadline.com/2018/01/debra-graniks-leave-no-trace-lands-at-bleecker-street-sundance-1202270748/|url-status=live}} It was released on June 29, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/leave-no-trace-trailer-winter-bone-director-debra-granik-ben-foster-thomasin-harcourt-mckenzie-breakout-role-1202377613/|title='Leave No Trace' From 'Winter's Bone' Director Debra Granik Bows First Trailer|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anita|last=Busch|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=November 28, 2018|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128210915/https://deadline.com/2018/04/leave-no-trace-trailer-winter-bone-director-debra-granik-ben-foster-thomasin-harcourt-mckenzie-breakout-role-1202377613/|url-status=live}}
Reception
= Critical response =
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has list of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 252 reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "Leave No Trace takes an effectively low-key approach to a potentially sensationalistic story — and further benefits from brilliant work by Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/leave_no_trace|title=Leave No Trace (2018)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612003921/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/leave_no_trace/|url-status=live}} It is the most reviewed film to hold an approval rating of 100% on the site.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2481716/8-movies-100-percent-ratings-worth-streaming-ahead-of-netflix-the-irishman |title=8 Movies With 100 Percent Ratings Worth Streaming Before Netflix's The Irishman |date=October 7, 2019 |website=Cinema Blend |access-date=November 21, 2019 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209004521/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2481716/8-movies-100-percent-ratings-worth-streaming-ahead-of-netflix-the-irishman |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|last=Haring|first=Bruce|date=May 28, 2021|title='Paddington 2' No Longer Perfect On Rotten Tomatoes After Negative Review|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/paddington2-rotten-tomatoes-bad-review-lowers-score-1234766378/|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=Deadline|language=|archive-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601194522/https://deadline.com/2021/05/paddington2-rotten-tomatoes-bad-review-lowers-score-1234766378/|url-status=live}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{Cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/leave-no-trace |title=Leave No Trace Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=December 29, 2018 |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729172601/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/leave-no-trace |url-status=live }}
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote: "In its best moments, Leave No Trace invites you to simply be with its characters, to see and experience the world as they do. Empathy, the movie reminds you, is something that is too little asked of you either in life or in art. Both Mr. Foster’s and Ms. Harcourt McKenzie’s sensitive, tightly checked performances are critical in this regard."{{cite web |date=June 28, 2018 |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |author-link=Manohla Dargis |title=Review: 'Leave No Trace' Is a Very American Story About Survival (Published 2018) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/movies/leave-no-trace-review-ben-foster.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019160337/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/movies/leave-no-trace-review-ben-foster.html |url-status=live }} Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called it "Fiercely involving in a way we're not used to, made with sensitivity and honesty by director/co-writer Debra Granik, it tells its emotional story of a father and daughter living dangerously off the grid in a way that is unnerving and uncompromising yet completely satisfying."{{cite web |date=June 28, 2018 |author=Kenneth Turan |author-link=Kenneth Turan |title=Review: 'Leave No Trace' is a reminder that the movie world is better with Debra Granik in it |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-leave-no-trace-review-20180628-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208033017/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-leave-no-trace-review-20180628-story.html |url-status=live }}
The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw praised the movie as being a deeply intelligent story of love and survival in the wild, and gave it a perfect score of 5 out of 5.{{cite web |date=May 13, 2018 |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Bradshaw |title=Leave No Trace review – deeply intelligent story of love and survival in the wild |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/13/leave-no-trace-review-debra-granik |website=The Guardian |access-date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017162220/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/13/leave-no-trace-review-debra-granik |url-status=live }} Mark Kermode and former US President Barack Obama named Leave No Trace their favorite film of 2018.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/30/mark-kermode-best-films-2018 |title=Mark Kermode's best films of 2018 |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=December 30, 2018 |work=The Guardian |access-date=December 30, 2018 |archive-date=December 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230114515/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/30/mark-kermode-best-films-2018 |url-status=live }}
Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a mixed review: "There's a listless, almost meandering nature to the story. The film's conflict is clear – this is no way to raise a child, and allowed to continue in this fashion, Will risks both his life and Tom's – and yet there’s no sense of where the script is headed, and no urgency to its resolution."{{cite web |date=January 21, 2018 |last=Debruge |first=Peter |title=Film Review: 'Leave No Trace' |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/leave-no-trace-review-1202667974/ |website=Variety |access-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214102446/https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/leave-no-trace-review-1202667974/ |url-status=live }}
=Accolades=
==Top ten lists==
Leave No Trace was listed on numerous critics' top ten lists for 2018, among them:{{cite web |title=Best of 2018: Film Critic Top Ten Lists |url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-list-the-top-10-movies-of-2018 |website=Metacritic |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-date=April 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429134048/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-list-the-top-10-movies-of-2018 |url-status=live }}
- 1st - Mark Kermode, The Observer
- 1st - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (tied with Black Panther)
- 2nd - Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter
- 2nd - Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
- 2nd - David Morgan, CBS News
- 2nd - Staff consensus, The Guardian
- 3rd - Jason Bailey, Flavorwire
- 4th - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
- 4th - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
- 4th - Sara Stewart, New York Post
- 5th - Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
- 5th - David Sims, The Atlantic
- 5th - Lawrence Toppman, The Charlotte Observer
- 5th - Staff consensus, The Sydney Morning Herald
- 6th - Anita Katz, San Francisco Examiner
- 6th - John Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter
- 6th - Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
- 6th - Chris Wasser, Irish Independent
- 8th - Nicholas Barber, BBC Culture
- 8th - Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
- 8th - Marc Doyle, Metacritic
- 8th - Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter
- 9th - John Powers, Vogue
- 10th - David Edelstein, Vulture
- 10th - Josh Larsen, Filmspotting
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically) - Dana Stevens, Slate
==Awards and nominations==
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/leave-no-trace/}}
- {{IMDb title|3892172}}
- {{Mojo title|leavenotrace}}
{{Debra Granik}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Film}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leave No Trace}}
Category:Bleecker Street films
Category:Films about father–daughter relationships
Category:Films about post-traumatic stress disorder
Category:Films based on American novels
Category:Films directed by Debra Granik
Category:2018 independent films
Category:Films set in Portland, Oregon
Category:Films set in Washington (state)
Category:Films shot in Portland, Oregon
Category:2010s English-language films
Category:Films scored by Dickon Hinchliffe