Movie review
June 29, 2018 · 109 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Leave No Trace.
Woke representation / casting
Casting uses white leads that fit the veteran father and daughter in a realistic Oregon setting; no prominent identity signaling, quotas, or mismatched diversity emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
No explicit activist speeches, lectures, or identity-focused exchanges; conversations stay personal and practical.
Identity-driven story themes
Core focus remains father-daughter bond, PTSD recovery, and individual choice; subtle social observations exist but lack modern identity politics or representation-first framing.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Shows social services and community programs as caring yet inadequate for this family's trauma-driven needs; presented as human limitation rather than systemic patriarchy, capitalism, or whiteness critique.
Review
Leave No Trace is a quiet 2018 drama about a PTSD-stricken veteran father and his teenage daughter who live off-grid in an Oregon forest until authorities discover them. They then move through foster care, jobs, and community programs while their close bond faces new pressures and choices about freedom versus belonging. The story stays grounded in personal trauma, family ties, and practical survival with no visible identity-driven messaging, activist dialogue, or representation emphasis in casting or themes.
Woke character or canon changes
original story with no established canon, historical figures, or source material altered for ideological reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No documented right-leaning or anti-woke complaints about agenda-pushing, DEI, or identity politics; film drew broad praise without political debate.
Creator track record context
Debra Granik has liberal-leaning early roots in grassroots media and union work plus repeated focus on veterans, poverty, and non-conforming lives, but her output stays humanist and story-first rather than centered on DEI, queer activism, or identity politics; other key creatives show minimal activist profiles.
Production
