Nice effects though.

Don't Believe the Hype

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Filmed in and around Portland Oregon and its massive and beautiful Forest Park, the scenery is outstanding, with excellent acting by Foster and especially Thomasin McKenzie, who really makes this movie work. The story itself is rather ho-hum, i.e. a vet struggling to fit into society choosing to live WAY off the grid (a good premise, but hackneyed and rarely done well).

A movie that follow a daughter and a father that live in the woods. Sounds just as thrilling as could be. Slowly the film builds as you get to know and try to understand the mindset of the father, and slowly you begin to learn about the daughter as well. However, this is the whole movie, very slow. Living between scenes of living off the land and day-to-day life there isn't much push forward in the plot. Where the movie hits the mark is in acting, with the main actors Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Foster driving almost everything, this film relies solely on their shoulders to not fall apart. They were able to keep control of the reigns all the way to the end. It definitely is more of a small sample size of many topics of culture, post military life, and family dynamics. However, in the end it falls short of a great story

Leave no trace is a beautifully acted, written, and filmed movie that will unfortunately be tossed under the radar despite being a masterful film.

First, beautiful acting, and camera work! The actors portray the father-daughter beautifully, the tensions are well enacted and grips your attention. However, the lack of explanation, or any kind of backstory, the movie, in my opinion does not deliver. Why is he so traumatized? What happened to his unit in army? Why does he need to leave outside the society? What happened to the mom? None of these questions are answered. I concur with the comment that suggests that this movie only has a beginning but not middle or end. The 3 stars are for the awesome acting and camera work.