Extraordinary performances make 'Leave No Trace' a powerful must-see film

"Leave No Trace" is a quiet, unconventional and tender story about the love between a father and his daughter. What propels it to extraordinary is two riveting performances by Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. 

Will (Foster) is a widowed vet, suffering from PTSD, although there are no direct references to his back story. He and his 13-year-old daughter, Tom (McKenzie), have been living in the woods outside of Portland, Oregon for an unspecified period of time, likely, many years. It's not a forced existence, but rather one of choice. When discovered by authorities, they're thrust into civilization to be evaluated and put into traditional housing. It doesn't set well at all for Will.

Soon the two hightail it back to the forest, this time in Washington State. When Will becomes severely injured, a kindly group of woods people take them under their wing and Tom begins to enjoy the stability that the environment provides. But Will's restlessness is relentless and forces him to make a heartbreaking decision. Tom's insightful comment to her beloved father as he prepares to depart, "The same thing that's wrong with you, isn't wrong with me," is pivotal. 

Debra Granik ("Winter's Bone") directs and co-scripts this pensive and powerful film, which is loosely based on true events. She artistically balances the dynamics between father and daughter with cautious serenity. In lieu of being judgemental, she leaves a great amount of probable details up to her audience. A scar on Will's leg, the visible horror on his face when a helicopter whirs from above, give us clues to the inner demons that haunt him wherever he goes. When a social worker asks Tom how she learned to read so well, she reveals that it was her father who taught her. We never know just how long they've been living off the grid.

Both Foster and McKenzie startle with their understated portrayals of two people who deeply love and respect one another. Without words they convey emotional depths of attachment through body language and intense facial expressions. We feel uncontrollably linked to their relationship.

"Leave No Trace" is a familial tale of inevitability. Granik points out that whether you're living in the woods or in a penthouse, there's always the eventual separation between a parent and child. And in Will and Tom's case, it feels just right.

Note: "Leave No Trace" is a reference to an organization which educates people about their recreational impact on nature and how to prevent and minimize such impacts.