Leave No Trace
Pro: Ben Foster finally gets to lead in something other than a western
Con: Eventually it had to end.
There is a specific subgenre that I really enjoy: Stories of a traumatized father trying his best. Pursuit of Happyiness, Road to Perdition, Captain Fantastic (which I will review later). Despite a 100% standing on Rotten Tomatoes, one film in this category that does not get enough attention is Leave No Trace by director Debra Granik.
Will and his daughter Tom live in the deep forests outside Portland. Their “home” is a temporary camp of tents and survival skills. A minimalistic lifestyle. They only go into town when necessary. When they need money, Will sells the medications he has been prescribed by the VA for post-traumatic disorders and painkillers. Since they are living there illegally, Will institute drills to hide and cover their tracks.
Ben Foster is an extremely underrated actor! Please see Hell or High Water, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and 3:10 to Yuma. He usually plays the more hostile sidekick. Mostly westerns. A strong supporting character. But he is strong in this lead. He has excellent chemistry with Thomasin McKenzie who is just getting started with Jojo Rabbit and Old. Their father-daughter relationship is the entire movie so it had to be believable, honest, and heartbreaking for the story to work.
The movie picks up when they are discovered and forced to integrate into society. They are put on government assistance, provided housing, and work with a lumber company. Reluctant at first based on how she has been raised, Tom gradually opens up to the small community. She starts to seek out ways and reasons to stay, but Will refuses and leads her into the wilderness again. They face extreme weather. The edge of starvation. It is not clear what they are looking for, what Will wants. But although it is never explicit, you understand that his PTSD is preventing him from finding peace, anywhere he goes. Tom finds hope in a remote mobile home community. She hopes that it will be enough of a compromise for Will as the people understand and embrace them. They are like-minded in wants and lifestyles. But even though he is injured and limited, Will is reluctant to stay. Tom works desperately to convince him.
The film does well in its handling of trauma and its effects on the daughter as well as Will. The direction never vilifies Will but it does not excuse his reckless behavior either. Tom follows him but is not gullible or helpless, either. The film walks a narrow line with the characters, leaving it to the audience to decide how they feel—which for me changed from scene to scene.
Favorite scene: SPOILER. My favorite scene is the last, the last line, the last sound. Throughout the movie, Will teaches Tom to hunt, hike, and hide. When they are in the wilderness, they use calls and sounds to signal each other. They click their tongue like calling a horse. It is kind of their way of saying “here I am,” “I love you,” and so much more. Will struggles to communicate what’s wrong with him. He refuses therapy and sells his meds. So you sadly know he is not getting the help he needs. He is not getting better. Tom tries to help in any way she can. She comforts him when he has a nightmare and calms him. But when he refuses to stay in the mobile home and pushes them to leave again, she finally confronts him by saying “what’s wrong with you is not wrong with me.” Will leads them, hiking once again away. Then Tom stops walking. There is a brilliant exchange using such little dialogue, except for Tom reassuring Will that she understands, “I know you would stay if you could.” They tearfully part ways as Will shamefully and helplessness accepts that he cannot be there for his daughter, and he cannot keep her with him. He walks into the forests. Tom returns to the mobile home community. But the final scene occurs sometime later as Tom sets a bag of supplies in a tree—a routine another local taught her. The local previously set the food, meant for an unknown man in the woods who needs help but who remains away. It is a hopeless act of kindness. Will has now become this mysterious figure. The film ends with Tom filling the bag, looking around, clicking her tongue, signaling to Will. There is no immediate response. It is perfect. The bittersweet and somber way of saying she still needs him there but understands she can’t be with him.
