I recently discovered a Wikipedia page with a List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I've used Rotten Tomatoes for years as a reasonable first-approximation for deciding whether an unfamiliar movie is worth watching, so I was intrigued to learn that "To date, Leave No Trace holds the site's record, with a rating of 100% and 249 positive reviews."
Our library had the DVD, so now I can report that the movie does not disappoint. It portrays the life of a father and daughter living off-the-grid in a forest in Oregon, and their re-entry (or not) into mainstream society. I was particularly pleased that the filmmakers chose not to portray law enforcement and civil authorities as insensitive automatons; the Veterans Administration employees and social workers are shown as caring and supportive in situations that must be recurrently frustrating. One feels immediate sympathy for the father and especially the young daughter, and the eventual outcome is poignant rather than tragic. Absolutely worth watching, IMHO.
As I watched Leave No Trace I was immediately reminded of two other movies I enjoyed featuring similar characters, and I was startled to discover that I seem not to have blogged about either of them (I thought I had - I guess the bookmarks are buried in all my cyberclutter). So here they are:
Nomadland is a multi-award-winning film from 2020:
Frances McDormand's character is not literally "off-the-grid" since she makes use of electricity, but the vibe is similar.
And Pig:
If you are unfamiliar with the story, you might prefer to skip the trailer, which has some "spoiler" tendencies.
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