The facts about homeless veterans are astounding. Just last year, a report was issued in December 2017: for the first time in seven years, the number of homeless veterans increased, mostly seen on the West Coast. The majority are male (with 9% being female) and, for the most part, the majority are single, live in urban areas, have alcohol or substance abuse issues, and suffer from mental illness. Over 11% of the adult homeless population alone are veterans. Let me say that again: 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans who have served their country. What you might find more shocking is that 30% of all homeless people in the United States are families.

When we meet Will (Ben Foster, one career-topping performance after another) he is living a lush, green existence in Forrest Park Nature reserve, just outside Portland, Oregon. He utilizes everything he can find off the land, squatting in dark soil while eating plants directly from the ground, picking berries and mushrooms, and cooking them up for lunch and dinner. He has gone off the grid and doesn’t want to live within society’s structure. Will is a homeless veteran who has been hit hard by life too many times to live any other way than he knows how. The issue is he has his teenage daughter and has brought her along for the ride that we can only assume has been going on for quite some time.

Will is an Iraq War veteran and lost his wife. It was so long ago that his daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie, a real find here), can’t remember her. They go into town only when they need to pick up medication from the local VA hospital and sell the medications for some cash to buy supplies. When Tom is spotted by a local jogger, the police and social services apprehend them to crack down on the homeless population on public land. Will and Tom can’t seem to find a place off the grid without some do-gooder trying to help them, especially since they haven’t asked. Soon, they are off and about again looking for a place to call their own.

Leave No Trace was directed by Debra Granik and adapted from the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock; Granik has cut her teeth in film by working as a cinematographer in documentaries and shorts films before her debut of Down to the Bone. The result is a grounded feel that feels honest, with no trace sensationalism. Courtesy of cinematographer Michael McDonough, Leave No Trace provides some of the most soulful shots of nature in recent memory. The use of the natural lights, colours, and shadows of the Pacific Northwest landscape are used as characters all their own.

Thomasin McKenzie’s eyes are a gateway to what her character is thinking, and the very definition of “Less is more.” With one stoic look you can see she is torn between wanting to take care of her father and her own natural autonomy and desire for more from life. Her performance feels authentically real and doesn’t have a false note in it. Just look at Granik’s previous film and Jennifer Lawrence’s first, Winter’s Bone. She knows how to draw out great performances from young and inexperienced actors and most importantly, writes strong female characters. McKenzie is sensational in her first lead role (and only third film on her resume) and has a bright future ahead of her.

Ben Foster has been doing solid work in Hollywood for years. Since his breakout role in 13:10 to Yuma, or as a soldier transferred to the casualty notification officer in The Messenger, or his Academy Award-nominated turn as an undisciplined, hot-headed banker robber in Hell or High Water, his roles only get better with age. He suffers from post-traumatic stress that leads to his trouble sleeping, nightmares and, most of all, depression. He is a true character actor who can fit in multiple types and can be the yin to someone’s yang. His role in Leave No Trace is a clinical lesson in brooding restraint.

A lot has been made of this father-daughter relationship between Will and Tom. The fact of the matter is it’s not a healthy one. And you know what, that’s okay. This isn’t your feel-good film or summer thriller. Will is suffering from mental illness that is preventing him from making a proper home for his daughter. That is child abuse. That’s honest. That’s real. It’s practically an imperfectly perfect look at mental illness. This is what separates the Skyscrapers of the world with films that transcend the medium. That’s what Leave No Trace is, a compassionate piece of artistic film-making at its very best.

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Ultraviolet Season 2 (Netflix) review: A step down from its predecessor

This review of Ultraviolet Season 2 (Netflix) is spoiler-free. You can check out our thoughts on the first season by clicking these words.

I managed to annoy a surprising number of people by slagging off the first season of Netflix’s Ultraviolet, a show with a history more interesting than its cases. Created by Wendy West and originally intended as a show for Fox in the U.S., it moved to Polish network AXN with a game cast of local actors and then whipped up a whirlwind after being picked up by the streaming giant. The premise of internet-savvy amateur sleuths doing the police’s job for them obviously appealed to binge-watchers — not exactly a mystery, I suppose — and thus, we have a 12-episode follow-up in Ultraviolet Season 2.

It wasn’t promising to learn that the second season enjoyed a sharp decline in ratings in its native country, and it wasn’t surprising to learn why: This sophomore outing is notably a step down from its predecessor, with a casting switcheroo sapping some engaging chemistry from the lead lineup and an obviously deteriorating sense of energy and imagination. It will still have enough leftover charm to satisfy the most ardent supporters of the first season, and it retains the themes of law enforcement incompetence and the inherent dangers of being related in any way to heroine Ola (Marta Nieradkiewicz).

Ultraviolet Season 2 moves away from Ola somewhat with a broader focus that achieves mixed results; on the one hand fleshing out supporting characters and their attendant stories but on the other reminding everyone that Nieradkiewicz is easily the best thing about this show. It isn’t awful but, like the first season, even though I was seemingly the only person to think so, it doesn’t manage to capitalize on a decent premise — especially now that premise isn’t as fresh-feeling as it once was.

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M.N. Miller

‘Leave No Trace’ | Film Review