Based on the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, Leave No Trace is the story of a PTSD war veteran who lives in the woods with his teenage daughter as they hide from society until they’re found as they struggle to adjust with the modern world. Directed by Debra Granik and screenplay by Granik and Anne Rosellini, the film is an exploration of a father trying to protect his daughter from the horrors of modern-day society as well as trying to find a place they can call home. Starring Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeff Kober, and Dale Dickey. Leave No Trace is a rapturous and somber film from Debra Granik.
The film is the simple story of a PTSD war veteran who lives in seclusion in the woods with his daughter as they are eventually found and taken into the modern world as the man struggles with his new surroundings though his daughter is intrigued by it. It’s a film with a simple premise as screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini as there isn’t a lot of heavy dialogue in favor of its main protagonists in Will (Ben Foster) and his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie) just living their life in the woods as the first act is about their life in the woods and how Will makes money to get supplies as it involves him and Tom going into the city where Will gets meds and sell them to the other troubled veterans. When Tom is accidentally discovered by a hiker, everything changes as the second act has the two evaluated and given a home where Will begrudgingly works for a Christmas tree farmer. It is there where Will and Tom’s relationship changes as the latter slowly befriends people and finds a community but Will’s own troubles forces them to flee as uncertainty becomes the norm. Even as Will and Tom struggle to find a new home despite the latter’s need for stability.
Granik’s direction is entrancing for not just the visuals she creates but also in the atmosphere she maintains in this battle of nature vs. the modern world as a backdrop between the relationship between father and daughter. Shot largely on location in Oregon with Portland being the city, the film does use a lot of wide shots not just to establish the locations but also in creating some unique compositions as it relates to the disconnect between Will and Tom and their own encounter with society. Even as it play into the growing separation between father and daughter as it relates to their encounter with the world. Granik also brings some intimacy into the medium shots and close-ups as the latter help play into the sense of fear and uncertainty that Will and Tom would face. Even as they also try to adjust to living at home where Will becomes uneasy with his new surroundings that includes a shot of a helicopter flying above him carrying trees.
Granik also maintains that atmosphere during the second act where Will and Tom return to their old home only to realize it’s gone while other people who were living nearby also lose their homes. Granik maintains that realism into the struggle to find a home within the woods away from modern society and cities but there is also this uncertainty into what they will find. The film’s third act has Granik showcase an alternative where Will and Tom don’t have to be in society but also a place that is stable and with a community of its own. It is a community that does feel like it isn’t totally disconnected from the modern world but offers a haven for someone like Will who continues to struggle with PTSD. Yet, Granik focuses on this father/daughter relationship that is trying to stay together but there are things that Will is unable to handle while Tom is eager to be part of something as its ending is about a father and daughter making a decision about the future and salvation for both of them. Overall, Granik crafts a heart-wrenching yet riveting film about a father-and-daughter trying to live their life away from the trappings of modern society.
Cinematographer Michael McDonough does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its approach to natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes with a few filters for some of the scenes set in the rain along with low-key lighting for some of the interior scenes. Editor Jane Rizzo does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few jump-cuts for dramatic purposes as well as rhythmic cuts to play into the reaction of the characters. Production designer Chad Keith, with set decorator Vanessa Knoll and art director Jonathan Guggenheim, does amazing work with the look of the home that Will and Tom lived in at the woods as well as the house they would briefly stay in as it play into the contrast of the two worlds they encounter.
Costume designer Erin Aldridge Orr does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with casual clothes including knitted clothing and hats that both Will and Tom wear. Sound editor Damian Volpe does superb work with the sound to maintain that air of natural atmosphere of the locations in the woods as well as the chaotic sounds of the city. The film’s music by Dickon Hinchliffe is incredible for its rich mixture of folk and ambient music as it play into the air of uncertainty and drama that Will and Tom endure in their journey while music supervisor Susan Jacobs provide a soundtrack that features elements of folk and indie that feature contributions from Michael Hurley and Marisa Anderson who both appear in the film as musicians in the film’s third act and Kendra Smith with a song that appears in the film’s final credits.
The casting by Kerry Barden, Simon Max Hill, and Paul Schnee is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Isiah Stone as a teenage farm boy that Tom befriends, Derek John Drescher as a homeless veteran Will does business with, Michael Prosser as Will’s social worker, Dana Millican as Tom’s social worker, David M. Pittman as a former Army medic in the film’s third act that helps Will, Jeff Kober as a tree farm owner, and Dale Dickey in a terrific small role as a trailer park owner in the film’s third act who helps Will and Tom find a new home as well as a stable lifestyle. Finally, there’s the duo of Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Will and Tom. Foster brings that ragged tone to his character that is full of anguish and regret as a man that is trying to live away from society as he is unable to handle with a lot of the things that hurts him. McKenzie’s performance is the most revelatory as this young woman who had little encounter with the outside world and society yet finds some of its value as it relates to community and a sense of belonging. Even as she manages to be natural in her reaction to things while she has a great rapport with Foster as it adds to the understated tone of her performance.
Leave No Trace is a magnificent film from Debra Granik that features tremendous performances from Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, minimalist story, a somber music score, and a study of a father/daughter relationship against the ideas of the modern world. It’s a film that explore two people living away from the trappings of society as they later cope with the modern world and what it would offer with one struggling to be part of and another wanting to be part of it. In the end, Leave No Trace is an outstanding film from Debra Granik.
Debra Granik Films: Down to the Bone - Winter's Bone - (Stray Dog (2014 film))
© thevoid99 2020
Written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar, Regression is the story of a detective who investigates a sexual abuse case made by a 17-year old girl against her father who has no recollection of what had happened. The film is an exploration into the world of child abuse as well as fact vs. fiction over what really happened as it relates to Satanic cults. Starring Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis, Aaron Ashmore, Devon Bostick, Dale Dickey, Lothaire Bluteau, Peter MacNeil, and David Dencik. Regression is an intriguing yet extremely messy film from Alejandro Amenabar.
Set in 1990 at a small town in Minnesota, the film revolves around a detective who investigates the sexual abuse of a 17-year old girl who claimed to have been sexually abused by her father. In the course of the investigation with the aid of a local psychiatrist, Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) learns that some of the abuse involve Satanic rituals as the case becomes complicated with Kenner getting too close. It’s a film that plays into a man trying to see what had happened while he interrogates this girl’s father to see if he really did anything. Once Kenner asks Angela Gray (Emma Watson) about what had happened and some of the things she revealed, Kenner would start to see things as if there is a Satanic cult in this small town.
Alejandro Amenabar’s script does create some compelling ideas about sexual abuse and regressed memories but once the story begins to include these ideas of Satanic rituals. It starts to lose focus on what is really going on and the aspects of the suspense and mystery starts to lose itself. Especially when Kenner and Professor Kenneth Raines (David Thewlis) begin to interrogate members of Angela’s family including her father John (David Dencik) who turned himself in to the police claiming he did something to his daughter. Once other members of Angela’s family such as her grandmother Rose (Dale Dickey) is questioned about her possible role in Satanic rituals, things definitely become confusing about what is truth and what is fiction. Especially as the most rational character in the film in Professor Raines begins to be sort of a Greek chorus of sorts about what is really going on and wonders if any of it is true.
Amenabar’s direction definitely has a unique sense of atmosphere in terms of its setting while it is shot largely in Toronto and other parts of Canada. Even in his approach to compositions as it plays into the dramatic elements such as the conversations between Kenner and Raines where they try to make sense of everything. Amenabar would also use some close-ups and medium shots to create some intimate moments as well as some scenes that play into Kenner talking to Angela and getting her to talk. The scenes which involve these Satanic rituals are meant to be scary but a lot of it ends up being very silly. By the time the film moves into its third act, more questions get raised as it relates to the hysteria of these accusations of Satanic rituals which does lead to a twist in the third act that doesn’t just kill whatever intrigue the film had. It also leads to an overdrawn ending as it related to regressed memories as well as how faith can distort reality. Overall, Amenabar creates an interesting but very troubled film about a sexual abuse case with elements of Satanic rituals.
Cinematographer Daniel Aranyo does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of bluish imagery for many of the film‘s daytime exterior scenes along with some intricate lighting for scenes set at night. Editor Carolina Martinez Urbina does some fine work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts though its attempt to create suspense with its fast-cuts don‘t really work as it makes it too obvious. Production designer Carol Spier, with set decorator Friday Myers and art director Elinor Rose Galbraith, does nice work with the look of the Gray family home as well as the church where Angela is staying at. Costume designer Sonia Grande does terrific work with the clothes as it’s mostly casual with the exception of the black robes the Satanists wear.
The visual effects work of Carlos Adarraga and Ezequiel Larru is good for some of the scenes in the Satanic ritual sequences as it plays into this blur of reality and fiction. Sound designer Gabriel Gutierrez does superb work with the sound to help play into the suspense and drama as well as scenes of horror. The film’s music by Roque Banos is pretty good for some of the orchestral-based music of the film that delves into the drama and suspense though it feels overdone at times.
The casting by Jina Jay and Jason Knight is amazing for the group of actors that are assembled though many are either caricatures or aren’t given much to do. Notable small performances from Adam Butcher and Kristian Bruun as a couple of local cops and Aaron Abrams as a detective named Farrell have their moments while Aaron Ashmore is alright as a cop who is accused of being part of the Satanic cult. Peter MacNeil is terrific as the local police chief who tries to deal with the attention over what is happening though he is severely underwritten. Devon Bostick is good as Angela’s older brother Roy who has been estranged from the family for mysterious reasons as he is confronted by Kenner and Raines where he would reveal some eerie family secrets. Dale Dickey is fantastic as Angela’s grandmother Rose as a woman who may be in denial over what happened as she copes with the chaos that is surrounding her family.
David Dencik is superb as Angela’s father John as a man who turns himself in to the police at the beginning of the film as he becomes unsure of what he did as he is consumed by guilt over his actions. Lothaire Bluteau is alright as Reverend Murray as the local religious leader who has taken Angela in as he also confides in Kenner and Raines to rely on faith which annoys the latter. David Thewlis is brilliant as Professor Kenneth Raines as a psychiatrist who is trying to analyze Angela’s family as he believes something isn’t right while being the smartest guy in the film. Emma Watson is wonderful as Angela Gray as a 17-year old girl who claims to be sexually abused as well as revealing that her family is part of a Satanic cult where Watson has this air of innocence to her but the script doesn’t really do much for her which hinders some of her performance as well as her motivations in the film. Finally, there’s Ethan Hawke in a stellar yet flawed performance as Detective Bruce Kenner as a detective who gets too close into the case where Hawke overdoes it at times in someone who is determined to get things right while also making himself look foolish due to the demands of the script.
Regression is a very disappointing and messy film from Alejandro Amenabar. Despite an interesting subject on regressed memories, it’s a film that wanted to say a lot of things but ends up being very convoluted and idiotic at times with characters that end up looking foolish. In the end, Regression is a terrible film from Alejandro Amenabar.
Alejandro Amenabar Films: Thesis - Open Your Eyes - The Others - The Sea Inside - Agora - The Auteurs #51: Alejandro Amenabar
© thevoid99 2016
Based on Daniel Woodrell’s novel, Winter’s Bone tells the story of a 17-year old girl living in poverty with her young siblings at the Ozarks Mountains. When the home she and her sibling live in is in danger as they face even worse poverty, the girl tries to find her father where she discovers a dark world of drugs as she turns to her uncle for help. Directed by Debra Granik with a script adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini, the film is a haunting coming-of-age tale set into a world that is mystifying as rural as the Ozarks. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Garrett Dillahunt, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Sheryl Lee, and John Hawkes. Winter’s Bone is a compelling yet harrowing drama from Debra Granik and company.
17-year old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in a rural area in the Ozarks Mountains in Missouri with her two young siblings in Sonny (Isaiah Stone) and Ashlee (Ashlee Thompson). Also living with them is their mother Connie (Valerie Richards) , who is depressed and withdrawn as they scrape by with whatever they live with. Even as they get help from their neighbor Sonya (Shelley Waggener) who often takes care of their horse. When a sheriff (Garrett Dillahunt) arrives to reveal to Ree that her father Jeesup has skipped bail and used the house as collateral. Ree realizes that she needs to find him or else her family will be homeless.
Ree asks for help including her friend Gail (Lauren Sweetser), a friend of her dad’s name Little Arthur (Kevin Breznahan), and a woman named Victoria (Cinnamon Schultz). Victoria is the girlfriend of Ree’s uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes) who doesn’t know where his brother is as he suggests to not dwell on finding Jeesup. After a suggestion from Little Arthur’s girlfriend Megan (Casey MacLaren), Ree walks to meet with Thump Milton (Ronnie Hall) whom she fears. She goes to his place to meet Merab (Dale Dickey) who says that Thump is too busy and suggests to forget about what is happening. Yet, Sonya’s boyfriend Blond Milton (William White) would reveal news about what might’ve happened to Jeesup as Ree decides to continue the search.
With Gail’s help, she and Ree meet up with Jeesup’s old girlfriend April (Sheryl Lee) who saw Jeesup two months ago as she realized that he’s been acting stranger than usual. Realizing that her family home is in danger and a bails bondsman (Tate Taylor), she tries to have a meeting with Thump only to get herself in even greater danger. Teardrop comes by to settle things as he reveals what his brother was up to as he decides to help her. With days away from losing the house, Ree tries to find ways to get money while Teardrop investigates the whereabouts of his brother. What they find is more shocking as well as the motive for the dark underworld Jessup had been involved with.
The film is a coming-of-age tale of sorts since it’s about a 17-year old girl trying to save her family’s home where she would discover a dark underworld that her father had been involved in. Yet, it’s more about the journey where Ree is someone already forced to grow up and act like an adult as she lives quite poorly with two young siblings to raise. Yet, she has all of the things a 17-year old wants including a life at high school. Still, she is devoted to her family that needs her as she takes care of her mentally-ill mother and her two young siblings. When she’s faced of losing that family and sense of security, she has to go into this treacherous adventure.
While she would get help from various people, there are two people who would warn her about the world she’s about to enter. One is her uncle Teardrop, a meth-head who is hostile yet doesn’t want Ree to enter this treacherous world as he knows something that he doesn’t want her to know. The character of Teardrop is an anti-hero of sorts who doesn’t want to get into any trouble but is reluctant about helping out his niece since she’s the closest thing to family that he has. The other character Ree encounters is Merab, an enforcer who works for an underworld boss who is intimidating and fierce as she doesn’t want Ree to find out about anything.
The film’s screenplay succeeds in not just bringing life to the characters that Ree meets but also her surroundings in the Ozarks Mountains. Yet, it’s Debra Granik’s direction that really brings a haunting yet hypnotic quality to the film. Shot on locations in the Ozarks Mountains in Missouri, there is a very realistic quality to the film where there’s very little sunlight in the film as the weather is mostly gray. Yet, it works to bring a look that feels real as if someone is at those mountains. More importantly, Granik’s direction plays things very quietly while always having the camera on the characters in intimate and sparse moments.
For the film’s more intense, dramatic moments, Granik definitely aims for suspense by having the camera follow the action. Notably a scene where Ree tries to follow Thump Milton at a cattle ranch and call out his name. Even as it would lead to a violent scene where Ree would encounter Milton and his gang including the vicious Merab. Every scene including a meeting between Ree and an army recruiter (Russell Schalk) has something to do with the story. Overall, Granik’s direction is superb for her eerie compositions and gritty approach to storytelling.
Cinematographer Michael McDonough does a fabulous job with the film‘s cinematography with its realistic yet wonderful look for many of the film‘s exterior scenes. Even at night where the darkness feels real and adds suspense to the film including a chilling scene at the lake. Most of the interiors are very intimate in its lighting while the camera is mostly steady with a few hand-held shots as McDonough’s work is wonderful to watch.
Editor Affonso Goncalves does an excellent job with the film’s editing by presenting it in a straightforward manner while maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Even in creating fast-paced cuts and rhythms for the more suspenseful scenes of the film. Production designer Mark White and set decorator Rebecca Brown do fantastic work with the decayed, messy look of the home Ree and her family lives in along with the surroundings of the other characters filled with decayed trailer parks and broken down cars. Even as it adds a real sense of authenticity to what it really looks like in the world of the rural South. Costume designer Rebecca Hofherr does a very good job with the film’s costumes as it plays to the realistic tone with characters wearing flannel and other winter-like clothing.
Sound editor Damian Volpe does a superb job with the film‘s sound in capturing the eerie atmosphere of the Ozarks from the winds and lakes nearby to the interior places such as the cattle halls and bars that the characters interact in. The film’s score by Dickon Hinchliffe is definitely one of the film’s technical highlights as it plays to haunting tone of the film with sparse, ambient-like pieces driven by guitars and keyboards. Even as the rest of the film’s music is a mixture of folk and traditional music.
Casting by Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee is phenomenal as many of the people in the film are non-actors which adds authenticity to the characters the people play. Among the notable small performances include Cody Brown as Gail’s husband Floyd, Russell Schalk as an army recruiter, Beth Domann and Charlotte Jeane Lucas as a couple of Merab’s acquaintances, Tate Taylor as a no-nonsense bails bondsman, Kevin Breznahan as a fellow meth-head named Little Arthur, Casey MacLaren as Little Arthur’s girlfriend as Megan, William White as Ree’s neighbor Blond Floyd, and Ronnie Hall as crime boss Thump Milton. Other notable small roles include Sheryl Lee as an ex-girlfriend of Ree’s father, Valerie Richards as Ree’s depressed, mute mother, Lauren Sweester as Ree’s friend Gail, Cinnamon Schultz as Teardrop’s girlfriend Victoria, and Shelley Waggener as sympathetic neighbor Sonya.
Garrett Dillahunt is very good as the local sheriff who reminds Ree of what she’s facing as he is also a man trying to do good though has issues with Teardrop during a showdown between the two. Isaiah Stone and Ashlee Thompson are excellent in their respective roles as Sonny and Ashlee, the two young siblings of Ree who are aware of what is going on as they help her out in hunting food and such. Dale Dickey is amazing as Merab, Thump Milton’s enforcer who is an intimidating presence in look and in performance. Dickey brings a chilling and forceful performance as a woman no one wants to mess with as she is also someone who doesn’t want a young girl like Ree to get into the dark underworld she surrounds herself with.
John Hawkes is superb as Teardrop, Ree’s meth-head uncle who is a hostile man not wanting to get Ree into the dark underworld of drugs. Yet, when he realizes that his brother is missing and Ree needs his help. He becomes an unlikely sympathetic figure despite his flaws as Hawkes plays the character with an uneasy yet quiet performance as a man haunted by his own demons as wants to know the truth about his brother’s disappearance. Finally, there’s Jennifer Lawrence in what is a definitely breakthrough role as Ree Dolly. Lawrence’s performance is truly outstanding in the way she plays a young girl beyond her years as she is also someone who acts like a mother to her young siblings while determined to find out what happened to her dad. It’s a very grounded role that has a young woman wanting to find out the truth, even if it puts her in danger as Lawrence steps up to the play by maintaining a calm approach to her character. It’s definitely one of the year’s best performances.
Winter’s Bone is a phenomenal film from Debra Granik that feature a great performance from Jennifer Lawrence. Along with wonderful supporting roles from John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, it’s a film that truly solidifies all that is good with no-holds-barred, raw, and compelling American indie cinema. Even as it gives a director like Debra Granik a chance to be profiled more as she is definitely a true visionary. Audiences wanting a thriller or suspense film with lots of realism will find it in a film like this as it doesn’t play to any rules while creating characters that are truly engaging. In the end, Winter’s Bone is an exhilarating and captivating film from Debra Granik and company.
Debra Granik Films: Down to the Bone - (Stray Dog (2014 film)) - Leave No Trace
© thevoid99 2011
