Cocooned in a forest of birdsong and streams, at one with nature and living off the land, close-knit father and daughter Will (Ben Foster) and Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) are as happy as a pig in the proverbial.

That is until the proverbial hits the fan when the authorities arrest them for squatting in a public park, relocate them to a rural cottage and organise work for Will and school for Tom. The latter of whom quickly adapts, the former retreating further into his shell-shocked shell.

Cabin fever kicks in and they head for the hills. But who or what are they running from and where and how are they going? Questions which ignite the curiosity of Tom who after striking up relationships with a string of fellow outsiders comes to the conclusion that she can beat her own path rather than follow in her father’s footsteps.

Directed by Debra Granik, who along with co-writer Anne Rosellini received Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nominations for Winter’s Bone, Leave No Trace is a beautiful tale about unconditional love (likened in the film to the faithful pair-bonding of seahorses) and the gradual awakening of independence which both characters reluctantly accept is the difference between “want” and “need”.

Based on the 2009 novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, the screenplay is a slow-moving and moving affair which opens like a flower and closes like a hug. The performances by both leads exceptional, particularly the seventeen-year-old Thomasin McKenzie who shines like a young Jodie Foster and like the film leaves more than a trace which lingers long in the memory.

Director: Debra Granik
Writers: Debra Granik (screenplay by), Anne Rosellini (screenplay by) 
Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard
Peter Callaghan
Latest posts by Peter Callaghan (see all)