Friday Flicks: ‘Leave No Trace’, ‘Dark River’, ‘Three Identical Strangers’
Friday rolls around and the schedule opens up. Time to catch up on the quieter releases that slipped through the multiplex noise. The focus this week lands on a single standout from 2018 that continues to reward rewatches.
Leave No Trace (Bleecker Street)
Theatrical release June 29, 2018 via Bleecker Street; runtime 109 minutes; PG rating for thematic material. Debra Granik directed this measured father-daughter story after the success of Winter’s Bone. Ben Foster plays Will, a military veteran who raises his teenage daughter Tom, played by Thomasin McKenzie, deep in the woods outside Portland, Oregon. They move quietly between campsites, avoid contact, and survive on minimal supplies. When authorities discover them, the pair must adjust to structured housing and social services. Granik keeps the camera steady and the dialogue spare, letting the actors carry the weight.
Foster and McKenzie build a believable bond without sentiment. Their routines feel lived-in, and the tension between survival and connection registers in small gestures rather than speeches. The film is adapted from Peter Rock’s novel My Abandonment, which itself drew from a real case of a father and daughter living undetected in Forest Park. Granik preserves that grounded quality and avoids turning isolation into spectacle.
Streaming and Home Media Availability
After its limited theatrical run the film moved to video-on-demand platforms and later appeared on Netflix, where it stayed until removal in June 2025. Viewers can still rent or purchase digital copies through major storefronts, and physical editions remain in circulation. The modest domestic gross of roughly six million dollars reflects its arthouse positioning rather than wide marketing push.
Legacy and Enduring Critical Acclaim
The film holds a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 253 reviews, the highest-reviewed title to achieve that score. Critics consistently cite the restrained performances and precise direction. Barack Obama listed it among his favorite films of 2018, and critic Mark Kermode named it his top pick of the year. Those endorsements sit alongside an 88 Metacritic score and continued mentions in year-end retrospectives, showing the film’s reputation has held steady rather than faded.
Themes in Contemporary Context
Granik presents Will’s PTSD and the family’s off-grid existence without judgment or easy resolution. Tom’s gradual move toward connection and structure mirrors conversations that have grown louder since 2018 about mental health support and the limits of self-reliance. The film neither romanticizes isolation nor condemns it outright, which keeps the story relevant as more people weigh alternative living arrangements against the need for community resources.
Granik’s approach favors observation over explanation, and the result is a portrait that still feels current. The quiet focus on two people navigating systems larger than themselves gives the film staying power beyond its initial release window.
