Review: 'Leave No Trace'

Another hit from the Sundance Film Festival here, and that alone should get you excited to see this.

When I heard that it had Ben Foster in the lead and the story having a Captain Fantastic vibe about it, I was psyched to see this.

This comes from the same director who did Winter's Bone, the film that launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence. From the opening shot, it already has a similar landscape to the directors previous films. From then on, you are transported to this world that you believe in right from the start, and the struggles of character that you quickly get engaged with and feel true sympathy for their struggles. After that introduction, the film just elevates those feelings on multiple occasions.

I was so happy to see Ben Foster be in the lead role for this. He is one of the best actors out there that I feel is not being fully utilised. Foster always shines in the supporting role. But he is rarely given the chance to take the lead.

In this one, Foster makes the most of it and gives a great performance. You can feel his characters struggles throughout and heartbreaking to watch from start to finish, even though you know there is a sinister side to him that could come out at any moment.

But amazingly, Foster is not the star of the show.

It's his support in the form of unknown Thomasin McKenzie that steals the plaudits, and the film ends up being her coming-of-age story. This teenager gives a performance that will break your heart. The amount of powerful and innocent moments she has on screen, especially with Foster is jaw-dropping and I was just amazed at how good she was. Plus, she has a face that has a such strong presence about it as you first see her on screen. A true star in the making, and most likely one of the big snubs at next years Oscar nominations, as I can see this performance getting lost by the time the big contenders come out.

Elsewhere, I noticed there were so many understated performances from the minor characters around our main two. So much so, that they felt like non-actors to me.

What I liked about it the most, is that director Debra Granik and her team leaves a lot for you to work out for yourself. There is little explanation given to all situations, and the film-makers respect your intelligence.

This is a great story. There are many scenes where you really feel for the characters involved, you believe their situation they are in and the family themes are strong on-screen and are very relatable.

Granik brokethrough Lawrence and this film could do that for McKenzie.

While I did enjoy this, I think the slow pacing and constantly depressing tone just fractionally prevented me from giving this an exceptional rating. It has become a common theme I have with Granik's films. So it's nothing new for me. The tempo started to show towards the end, and also I don't think there were enough strong or powerful moments for me to take over the line.

However, there is still plenty to enjoy and talk about afterwards. The story is really interesting to see develop, the woodland scenery is gorgeous and also punishing at times when you relate to the characters situation. The performances by our two main characters are top quality and alone are worth the price of a ticket.

If you're in the mood for a chance of pacing and vibe with it being the summer blockbuster season, then check out this indie treat.

Rating: 7/10