Leave No Trace, written and directed by Debra Granik, based on the novel by Peter Rock - Seven out of 10

Leave No Trace, written and directed by Debra Granik, based on the novel by Peter Rock

Seven out of 10

Leave no Trace has been very appreciated by the critics – they have given it an average rating of 88 out of 100, while the audiences have been just a little less generous with 7.4 out of 10.

The motion picture is indeed complex, thought provoking, original, and even if there have been quite a few features with a similar main theme – some of them remarkable, like Captain Fantastic and Into the Wild – the idea of main characters that choose to live in the wilderness is still not mainstream.

With the climate change in full swing, albeit denied by so many fools, the plot that has people living out of towns and into the – remaining – forests would get traction, for there would be so many towns drowned by the sea or just devastated by major and more frequent hurricanes.

In Leave No Trace, the main personage is Tom aka the young upcoming actress Thomasin McKenzie, daughter of the other leading character, Will, played by Ben Foster.

Ben Foster may be a talented actor, but he has certainly annoyed the under signed in one of his recent apparitions, in Hell or High Water, where he has given an exaggerated, artificial, melodramatic and over the top performance that has been memorable in its unpleasantness.

Even in this good film, the actor has managed to disengage yours truly, albeit it is surely a case of prejudice and the aforementioned unhappy experience with Hell and High Water has had an impact that is still remembered.

The bizarre protagonist of Leave no Trace is also not an endearing figure, for his insistence that his daughter lives in the forests with him is ultimately so dangerous it could well kill the teenager, which is what nearly happens one night, as they have to spend the night in freezing temperatures.

He is one of those men who prefer to live in the wild, away from humanity, running away whenever men or women come near their path, the title of the film referring to the habit, indeed the rule they apply so that they Leave No Trace for others to find them and perhaps to the idea of having no dirty impact on the planet.

If we read the message in this register, of ecofriendly humans who decide to Leave No trace on the environment, in total opposition with the rest of us, who use so much energy, resources, throwing so much plastic and other garbage that often ends up into the seas, then it is so worthwhile.

And part of the attraction of this motion picture rests in the idea that we all find compelling, that of finding harmony with nature, staying away from the smart phones that occupy so much of our lives in this age, the television news that are so depressing- now with the confirmation of a man prone to boofing, keen on the devil’s triangle and especially a perjurer when testifying before a senate committee.

On the other hand, when he keeps his daughter in the wild, will is placing her in danger, for if she were hurt, medical help would be difficult if not impossible- indeed, when he is injured, he is lucky that she finds him, otherwise he would be dead.

They are found by the authorities and given that they live on public land, he is taken into custody, for this is illegal, they are ultimately given the opportunity to have a decent home, while the father works in the forest, harvesting Christmas trees and the girl has a roof over her head as opposed to the tarpaulin under the sky.

They even attend religious service, but the parent is only going through the expected motions just to make the community trust him, all the time waiting for his next move, unbeknownst to his daughter.

Tom has become somewhat friendly with another teenager from the neighborhood, who has rabbits and is interested in taking them to competitions, grooming and training himself through the moves required by beauty contests.

However, one day Will starts packing and requests his daughter to do the same, for they are on the road again, trying to get a ride from truckers, up to the point where one is willing to help, after questioning the girl to see if she has been abused or is under any duress or imposition.

The wilderness where they stop and get off the truck is at higher altitudes and the temperature is so low that the feet of the girl are blue and her father has to warm them on his belly, placing them later into plastic bags that would prevent the humidity from entering her poorly isolated boots.

They may have died that night, but the man used with living outdoors knows how to use ferns and hide into a trunk while embracing his daughter so that they do not freeze and depart.

Their love is impressing, enchanting and somewhat strange and it feels to some extent inappropriate, although her loyalty is laudable – she stays by him through all the challenges and traumas they have to face together.

Finally, she may understand that she is different, although she loves nature and her parent, she might not feel the same urge as her father to reject all humans and live outdoors, tom could decide that she has had enough of the cold, the rain, the adversity of life in the cold.