Father-daughter relationships seem to be a recurrent theme in the Shuswap Film Society’s fall movie schedule.
In Leave no Trace, the father, Will, a widowed veteran suffering from PTSD, and his daughter Tom, have escaped society and live in the forest west of downtown Portland, Oregon. It’s their little piece of paradise, but it’s illegal to live there, and both know that if someone spots them, they’ll not be allowed to stay. In their carefully concealed campsite, they practise well-rehearsed “hiding” drills.
Tom is accidentally spotted in the woods one day and the two are handed over to social services and given a place to live and a school for Tom. Tom takes to her newfound lifestyle and starts to enjoy her weekly activities and interaction with others, whereas tormented Will struggles to adapt to society. Before long they are packing their things and setting off on a journey into the wild once again. But is there actually a future for them together? As Tom has evolved into her own person, she realizes that, as much as she loves her dad, their life together may no longer be sustainable the way it was when she was a child.
Leave No Trace is based on Peter Rock’s book, My Abandonment, which was inspired by a series in an Oregon newspaper about a father and daughter who were discovered living undetected in the forest for four years, so it is roughly based on their story. Debra Granik, the writer and director, discovered Jennifer Lawrence when she cast her in her film, Winter’s Bone, and has discovered another young star in Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, who plays Tom and is a joy to watch. Ben Foster, a terrific character actor, is fantastic as the wounded warrior Will.
Newtoronto.com called Leave No Trace “a beautiful tribute to lost souls” while another reviewer called it “a small wonder of a film.” Highly recommended.
Leave No Trace shows twice on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 5 and 7:30 p.m. at the Salmar Classic.
@SalmonArm
newsroom@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter