DEBORAH M. PRUM

DEBORAH PRUM

Stories, Essays and Reviews

Movie Review: LEAVE NO TRACE

LEAVE NO TRACE
MOVIE REVIEW

My husband and I watched Leave No Trace last night. He hated it. He thought the movie was bleak and sad. He felt furious with the father during the entire film.

I loved the movie—the nuanced acting, the plot, the camerawork, the casting choices, the understated and unexpected way that the screenwriters, Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, dealt with the storyline. The story is based on a book called My Abandonment by Peter Rock. The book was inspired by a news report about a father and daughter who had spent four years living in a park outside of Portland, Oregon.

My husband was right. The movie was painful to watch, but there was a great deal of beauty in that pain. When I was reading about it online, I came across this review. 

Ebert’s observations are thorough and insightful, so I thought I’d post the link.

If you decide to watch it, I would love to discuss it with you.

(Photo by Jen Fariello)
Deborah Prum’s fiction has appeared in The Virginia Quarterly ReviewAcross the MarginStreetlight and other outlets. Her essays air on NPR member stations and have appeared in The Washington PostLadies Home Journal and Southern Living, as well as many other places. Check out her WEBSITE. Check out her DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING SERVICES. Check out her PAINTINGS

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