The Big Picture

• Rotten Tomatoes scores can oversimplify film criticism; there's more to a good review than "rotten" or "fresh."
• Rotten Tomatoes does bring attention to overlooked films like Leave No Trace.
• Leave No Trace explores the challenges of assimilation and the freedom of choice in a moving and authentic way.

While film criticism aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes are useful in helping to determine the broad critical consensus that a film received, simplifying the response to a film into a score is not necessarily a useful form of engaging with art. Rotten Tomatoes works like a binary, and in actuality, there’s much more to a good review than whether a film is simply “rotten” or “fresh.” Metrics like Rotten Tomatoes may claim to “democratize” the art of criticism, but they’re largely useless for those looking for more nuanced opinions. However, overwhelming critical support from an aggregator like Rotten Tomatoes can shed a spotlight on films that would not have otherwise received as much attention from a mainstream audience. Debra Granik’s 2018 family drama Leave No Trace may have been a film that many slept on while it was in theaters, but its 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes should hopefully encourage a wider audience to check it out.

What Happens in 'Leave No Trace'?

Leave No Trace is Granik’s follow up to her breakthrough 2010 drama Winter’s Bone starring Jennifer Lawrence. Winter’s Bone was a grounded thriller that depicted both familial relationships and its natural environments with great detail. While Winter’s Bone could loosely be described as a “genre film,” Leave No Trace was squarely focused on depicting an authentic, lived-in experience. The film follows Will (Ben Foster), a former military veteran who lives “off the grid” with his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie). Although Will and Tom have gotten used to this nomadic lifestyle, they are forced to “assimilate” when they are discovered.

Granik does a great job at exploring her characters’ lifestyle without judgment. Living outside civil society presents its dangers. There is a lack of medical supplies and a distance from breaking news, but Tom is also removed from any social circles with children her own age. She has lived to be entirely dependent upon her father, and has never learned what constitutes normal human interaction. At the same time, Will is able to use their nomadic lifestyle in order to focus on his priorities. He knows that the infrastructure of normal society is rife with issues, and that they may cause issues in Tom’s development. This objective view of nomad living is rare to see in film, as even Nomadland offered some judgments on its characters.

Will knows firsthand that the infrastructure can fail because of his own backstory. Although Granik never gives Foster an expositional monologue where he explains his entire life, it’s subtly hinted that he’s dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in combat. Although Will is dealing with his trauma in the way that he sees fit, not associating with anyone else isn’t necessarily a healthy way to cope with his struggles. Granik explores the flawed, yet understandable logic in his thinking. Will mistakes “needing help” for moral weakness, and feels that receiving assistance from therapists is a mistake. Will’s unwillingness to ask for help isn’t because of toxic masculinity; he wants his daughter to perceive him as authoritative so that he can offer her a blanket of safety.

'Leave No Trace’ Tries To Show, Not Tell

Granik does a great job at showing how challenging the assimilation process can be. Will and Tom are discovered by a jogger, and must adjust to a new life in rural Oregon. Will and Tom subvert the expectations that the social services officers have about “nomads.” Tom possesses an academic knowledge that rivals anyone her own age that attended school, and Will has taken care of himself remarkably well. Granik chooses not to demonize either Will or the social service officers that try to get him to adjust his lifestyle. Both parties are simply trying to find a solution to this situation that is healthy and legal for everyone involved. Foster shows how reluctant Will is to change a lifestyle that he felt was working for both him and his daughter, giving one of his best performances in the process.

While it never feels like they are in physical danger, Will has not accepted that he will have to introduce Tom to the rest of the world. Granik crafts a beautiful father-daughter story because the film is just as much about Will’s development as it is about Tom coming of age. Tom begins to find joy when she gets to meet other people and hear about their experiences; she has only ever been close with her father, so learning about someone else is a breath of fresh air. The film doesn’t suggest that Will’s teachings had a negative impact on her, but it does show the value in having a diversity of experience.

The Grounded Realism of ‘Leave No Trace’ Helps It Feel Authentic

However, the assimilation process is much different for Will because he has seen what living a non-nomadic life could look like. Tom has never known anything other than what her father told her, so her perception is more limited. Will specifically chose to live his life nomadically because of his inability to engage with other people. In its most heartbreaking sequence, Leave No Trace shows why the two characters have to split up. Will has chosen to remain isolated, but Tom still has the opportunity to make that decision. Will realizes that in order to give her the freedom to make that choice, he will have to leave her behind. Leave No Trace doesn’t turn this moment into a manipulative one that exists purely to pull the audience’s heartstrings. It was evident from the beginning of the story that, inevitably, Tom would have to move on.

While Leave No Trace landed with little impact upon its debut, it’s the type of film that is worthy of a critical rediscovery. Granik’s unflashy style may not have seemed exciting to casual viewers, but the realism with which she crafts the story makes the characters’ experiences feel more authentic. The story is a timeless one, and the film is able to analyze a specific experience with empathy. Although it may be best known as McKenzie’s breakout film, Leave No Trace’s 100% approval rating couldn’t be more deserving.

Leave No Trace is available to stream on Starz in the U.S.

Watch on Starz