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Leave No Trace
2018 109 min Canada, United States of America PG 18+
★7.6
Drama
Director: Debra Granik
📖 Based on the novel
«My Abandonment»
byPeter Rock
Trailers
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Description
A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.
US Gross:
$6.05M
Starring
Thomasin McKenzie
Actor
Ben Foster
Actor
Jeffery Rifflard
Actor
Awards
18 wins & 92 nominations total
Key opinion
Leave No Trace is widely praised for its subtle, restrained direction and the powerful, nuanced performances of Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. While some viewers appreciate its quiet, naturalistic exploration of trauma and parent-child bonds, others find its slow, understated approach to storytelling and lack of dramatic tension to be unengaging or overly passive.
| Acting | Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie deliver compelling, restrained performances that anchor the film's emotional core. | |
| Direction | Debra Granik’s direction provides a grounded, minimalist, and non-sentimental lens that avoids typical cinematic melodrama. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively uses natural forest imagery to mirror the characters' internal states and their desire for isolation. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay relies on subtle, understated storytelling that explores complex themes like PTSD and autonomy without explicit exposition or moralizing. | |
| Pacing | The slow, contemplative pacing divides audiences; many find the deliberate tempo and lack of traditional plot twists deeply rewarding, while others find the film uneventful or exhausting. |