"Leave No Trace," much like the director's previous work "Winter's Bone," offers a glimpse at the lives of forgotten Americans living in remote corners of the country. It's refreshing in and of itself to see a film based somewhere a bit different, and looking at people's lives we may have otherwise overlooked. And to that end, "Leave No Trace" does a wonderful job of capturing the landscape and spirit of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. And the premise of a man and his daughter surviving in the woods on their own is fascinating.
My main issue with "Leave No Trace" is that people have been making "indie" films almost identical to this for years. It's almost formulaic at this point: take a slice of life out of some downtrodden characters, follow them around for a while, and end on some poignant moment that is supposed to make the viewer think. Case in point: ten years ago there was a film called "Wendy and Lucy" where a woman and her dog down on tough times roam around Oregon that followed the exact same formula. And I can think of others, seen at various film festivals over the years. These are not usually bad films, but there is something a bit sophomoric about them. You are probably either the type that enjoys this style or doesn't.
While there are a few subtleties of this film that I can appreciate, in the end there is nothing much new here, which, for me, makes the film entirely forgettable.
My main issue with "Leave No Trace" is that people have been making "indie" films almost identical to this for years. It's almost formulaic at this point: take a slice of life out of some downtrodden characters, follow them around for a while, and end on some poignant moment that is supposed to make the viewer think. Case in point: ten years ago there was a film called "Wendy and Lucy" where a woman and her dog down on tough times roam around Oregon that followed the exact same formula. And I can think of others, seen at various film festivals over the years. These are not usually bad films, but there is something a bit sophomoric about them. You are probably either the type that enjoys this style or doesn't.
While there are a few subtleties of this film that I can appreciate, in the end there is nothing much new here, which, for me, makes the film entirely forgettable.