Leave No Trace is a new film by Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone), which has a similar exploration of a father and daughter’s relationship. Originally through a young Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone to now a much younger New Zealand actress, Thomasin McKenzie (who plays Tom), both these characters have similar strengths and vulnerabilities.
The ability to sit back and take in the serene locations of Portland’s surrounding forestry is a pleasure, until a political agenda offers some bite. Not too different from the prejudice you get when witnessing a baby crying with their single parent, pondering, is that baby okay? Or the often thought, I wouldn’t do that if that were my child; Leave No Trace exhibits exactly this mindset.
Leave No Trace concerns an ex-veteran and father Will (Ben Foster) and life with his daughter (McKenzie). The mother has passed and their relationship is more about being a survival team than the typical paternal bond. Neither in danger, nor in trouble, Will and Tom have chosen a lifestyle of illegal squatting in forests around Portland, believing it as a way of removing the boundaries of authority and unnecessary consumption.
A lack of knowledge and little backstory does seem deliberate here as it further outlays its tensions. The journey develops when a runner spots Tom trying to hide from him. Not long after Will and Tom are taken to the appropriate authorities for further investigation. Mandatory psychological tests are required until the pair is reunited in a new domestic setting with rules and regulations. Tom gets a taste of having a roof over her head and mainstream lifestyle while Will has to preform jobs such as forest logging that certainly contradict his principles.
In the latter half Leave No Trace turns to emotion, and there is a change in perspective as adaptability is key. This is illustrated by a metaphor involving a beekeeper that shows Tom her apiary. The enthusiast has trained bees to not be fearful of human interaction once they leave their hive. If they do, they will use their sting and automatically die. This obviously requires a certain trust and benevolence.
Leave No Trace is a back and fourth type of narrative. This can be a frustrating at times due to a deliberate lack of backstories often leaving you with no context and forcing you back to prejudices. The shifting habitats they frequent also makes it difficult to be settled in one location. But you can definitely put questions aside till after and really appreciate the way the cinematography has captured nature for what it is – even cobwebs look enchanting. If cobwebs aren’t your thing, there’s other pleasures like a rabbit and dog to fall in love with. Overall, Leave No Trace highlights and politicises the small things that can matter the most.
Leave No Trace screens exclusively at Cinema Nova from 23rd August through Sony Pictures.
