--- title: "Leave No Trace: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/leave-no-trace/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/leave-no-trace" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Leave No Trace (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 19 reviews: 19 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The consensus is strongly positive, with praise centred on Debra Granik’s compassionate direction and the performances of Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. Most critics find the father-daughter drama moving without sentimentality, crediting its attention to forest routines and the practical difficulties of living outside society. McKenzie draws particular notice for conveying the daughter’s growing independence with quiet assurance. The reviews also value Granik’s refusal to romanticise off-grid life or simplify the pair’s encounters with authority. The differences concern how well that restraint sustains the drama, rather than its empathy or acting. Variety admires McKenzie and the film’s visual environment but finds the story somewhat meandering and short on strong hooks. The Times offers a sharper reservation: the central performances convey intense inner lives, yet their lack of expression eventually becomes deadening. These objections sit within a broadly admiring response, with most critics finding emotional depth in the understatement. ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/5/5. 26 June 2018. The critic lauds Granik's tender portrayal of a father and daughter living off the grid, noting its empathetic depiction of the underclasses and emotional depth as one of the year's best. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/leave-no-trace) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 4/4. 4 July 2018. Granik is commended for refining a style of tranquil intensity with rapt, pared-down images and deep empathy. The review highlights the film's sobering vision as a respite from modern culture and its strong performances. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/leave-no-trace/) ## Film Comment — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2018. The critic praises Granik's empathetic and tactile direction of an off-grid father-daughter story, noting its nuanced take on autonomy versus social integration and the standout naturalistic performances, especially from newcomer Thomasin McKenzie. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-week-leave-no-trace/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 2018. The critic calls the film a reminder that the movie world is better with Debra Granik in it, praising its sensitive and honest portrayal of a father and daughter living off the grid and the exceptional performances by Ben Foster and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. It highlights the film's emotional resonance and Granik's skill in avoiding narrative traps. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-leave-no-trace-review-20180628-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jon Frosch Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2018. Festival review. The critic calls it an absorbing, delicately directed and acted father-daughter drama full of compassion. Granik is praised for her unsentimental humanism and the strong performances of Foster and McKenzie. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/leave-no-trace-review-1075523/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2018. The review finds the film grim yet captivating, praising its mournful tone and extraordinary acting by Foster and McKenzie. Granik is lauded for her empathy toward the characters and exploration of their relationship. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/review-leave-no-trace-is-a-captivating-father-daughter-tale.html) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2018. Festival review. It is described as a modest but extraordinarily graceful coming-of-age story about what people need from each other. The review highlights the film's rock-solid emotional core and Granik's direction. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/leave-no-trace-review-debra-granik-sundance-2018-1201917352/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2018. Festival review. Granik’s complex study of an army vet and his daughter living off-grid in a public park is a careful, realistic alternative to more naive wilderness films. It balances intelligence with a sense of what is truly at stake for those rejecting conventional life. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/13/leave-no-trace-review-debra-granik) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2018. The critic praises Granik's focus on the father and daughter's forest routines and their tense relationship with society, highlighting the strong performances especially Thomasin McKenzie's quiet strength as the daughter grows independent. The film is noted for its subtle portrayal of PTSD and for functioning as a war film without overt combat. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/02/leave-no-trace-and-three-identical-strangers) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 28 June 2018. Granik’s subtle film follows a father and daughter who spurn convention and live off-grid, charting their clashes with authority and attempts to maintain their way of life. It is assured and irresistibly gripping, with strong performances from Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/05/11/leave-no-trace-review-irresistible-tale-one-mans-attempt-escape/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 25 June 2018. The critic commends the smart, heartfelt examination of outsiderdom through subtle character building and strong performances by Foster and McKenzie in this realist drama. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/leave-no-trace) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2018. Festival review. The critic notes the film's profound empathy for its backwoods characters and the discovery of young talent in Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, comparing it favorably to Granik's Winter's Bone while observing its low-key nature may limit its cultural impact. It praises the visual environment and the young actress's emergence but finds the story somewhat meandering without strong hooks. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/leave-no-trace-review-1202667974/) ## Empire — Ian Freer 25 June 2018. Granik’s film delivers a subtler, more rewarding trail than expected, a small but quietly powerful tender portrait of a father-daughter transition in rural America. The critic singles out the compassionate detail, Foster’s humble fragility, and especially McKenzie’s impressive, note-perfect performance as the film’s ace card. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/leave-trace-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan 29 June 2018. Debra Granik’s follow-up to Winter’s Bone offers a lovely answer to themes of life beyond celebrity, centering on an ex-veteran father and daughter living off-grid whose differing desires create tension. The critic highlights the human performances, subtle script, and McKenzie’s standout talent as making the film moving and memorable. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/leave-no-trace-review-deep-in-the-oregon-forest-a-father-and-daughter-drama-stirs-a3875246.html) ## Screen Daily 8 May 2018. Festival review. The critic highlights the moving character drama with remarkable understatement, praising the performances and Granik's tenderness in portraying marginalized individuals. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/leave-no-trace-review/5125510.article) ## Sight and Sound — Pamela Hutchinson 28 June 2018. The critic praises the subtle drama of a father and daughter's diverging paths in off-grid life, highlighting Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie's breakthrough performance and the film's understated emotional poignancy and political relevance. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-leave-no-trace-grieves-wild-heart) ## The Independent 28 June 2018. The film is a subtle and enigmatic drama straddling wilderness folklore and social realism, focusing on a father and daughter living off-grid in Oregon woods. The critic praises its understatement, strong performances especially from Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, and down-to-earth approach over pretension. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/leave-no-trace-review-wildernessstyle-folklore-meets-hardboiled-social-realism-a8419181.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★☆☆. 29 June 2018. Two masterclasses in minimalism from Granik’s central performers convey intense interior lives as the pair tangle with authorities and attempt to live off-grid. The lack of expression eventually becomes deadening, leading to a disappointingly muted climax. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-leave-no-trace-m0fx0v2vx) ## Total Film 25 June 2018. Foster and McKenzie thoroughly convince in Granik’s hands, moulding a subtle, assured, and often powerful tale adapted from a true story-inspired novel. The critic praises McKenzie’s powerful turn worthy of comparison to Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, noting the film’s emotional finale. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/leave-no-trace-review/) ## /Film — Steven Prokopy Rating 9/10. 24 January 2018. Festival review. Granik returns with another tale of families living off-the-grid, turning it into a coming-of-age story about a father's inability to integrate and a daughter's desire for community. It offers the opportunity to consider rarely portrayed lifestyles with subtlety. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/555839/leave-no-trace-review/) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Rating A-. 30 January 2018. Festival review. The film captures a rare positivity about American life and humanity through its good-natured spirit and the bond between father and daughter. Granik delivers a subtle, lovely character piece about outsiders rarely seen on screen. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/leaveno-trace-review-20180130/) ## Digital Spy — Hugh Armitage Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2018. The review highlights Granik's talent-spotting with the young lead and the film's warmer, more hopeful tone than Winter's Bone, commending the strong central performances and naturalistic storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a857943/leave-no-trace-review-debra-granik-thomasin-mckenzie-winters-bone/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. The sensitive drama offers rare insight into a troubled veteran's psyche and a strained father-daughter bond, anchored by phenomenal performances from McKenzie and Foster that convey authentic emotional weight and relational depth. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/06/film-review-leave-no-trace/) ## The Skinny — Kelli Weston Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2018. Festival review. The piece calls the film an exquisite, haunting tale of family and community with excellent performances from Foster and the promising McKenzie, praising its simple yet resonant ethos about faith in others. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/uk-festivals/film/a-snapshot-of-american-indie-cinema-in-2018) ## The Wrap — Elizabeth Weitzman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. Festival review. The critic praises Granik’s restrained, observational approach in this gentle and intimate film that avoids easy dramatic targets or villains. She singles out the nuanced performance of newcomer Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie for praise while noting Ben Foster’s star presence as a slightly jarring fit. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/leave-no-trace-film-review-debra-granik-ben-foster-sundance/) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating B. 27 June 2018. Festival review. The film is a quiet, restrained father-daughter story that builds emotional impact through naturalism and strong performances, particularly McKenzie's breakthrough turn, though it can meander and remain enigmatic. [Read the review](https://collider.com/leave-no-trace-review-ben-foster/) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall 2 June 2018. Festival review. Granik sympathetically interrogates the father's choices while exploring the daughter's coming-of-age, without making his decision morally clear-cut. The film balances character study with the challenges of minimal resources and modern life. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=32580) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh 16 May 2018. Festival review. The film questions conventional notions of normality through its characters' off-grid life and encounters with society. It highlights the strong, humane performances of Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie in a quiet, focused story. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/leave-no-trace-review/) ## Paste — Dom Sinacola Rating 8.3. 26 June 2018. Granik crafts a quietly stunning, humane portrait of a PTSD-stricken veteran and his daughter navigating off-grid life versus society, with exceptional, nuanced performances from Foster and McKenzie capturing the divide between mere survival and living. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/leave-no-trace/leave-no-trace) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/leave-no-trace.md