I will admit that I am a sucker for the whole family/individual moves to the woods genre of movies. From The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, to The Adventures of the Wilderness Family, to Captain Fantastic, to Leave No Trace.
Why does this movie affect me so?
I’m a father, so there’s that. I’ve lost my wife, not to death but mental illness but it hurts just the same. I relate to this movie on a number of levels, occasionally envy.
And let’s face it, having Ben Foster in the lead doesn’t hurt. In my four walls, he shares the title of best actor of his generation with Paul Walter Hauser. (See also: Hell or Highwater) Add Thomasin McKenzie to the mix – an actress with flawless taste in movie roles – and get Debra Granik to direct, well then folks, you have greatness on your hands.
The famous line in the film is spoken by Thomasin McKenzie’s character to her father played by Ben Foster. “The same thing that’s wrong with you isn’t wrong with me.” Now, I’m sure that line hits a lot of people in a variety of ways. But it hit me hard. That shit was personalized. And it helped me make a little sense out of my mess of a personal life.
And that folks, the magic of cinema.
Every movie watched, you take a little piece of it with you. I’m talking to you Adam Sandler fans out there.
I used to live in Portland, back when it had an actual skyline instead of whatever that mess is considered now. It is in part because of movies that I wanted to live there in the first place. Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho. Those were invitations. I accepted. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for films that are based or filmed in PDX. You couldn’t pay me to deal with that traffic ever again, but I stay connected from afar.
I used to live in St. Johns. And every morning when I woke up I was greeted by the majestic St. Johns Bridge. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning. I still have a framed photograph of the bridge my wife got me at Saturday Market. To see the bridge in the opening scenes of Leave No Trace made my heart skip a beat. Cinematic beauty and real life nostalgia are a beautiful mix.
