Ben Foster and his teen daughter Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie live secretly in the Oregon woods, avoiding all contact with people, in this superb drama
Ben Foster and his teen daughter Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie live secretly in the Oregon woods, avoiding all contact with people, in this superb drama.
They seem happy in isolation, with everything they need, and their bond is strong and loving. Why they live as they do is gradually revealed as it becomes clear that veteran Foster suffers from PTSD and is in a fragile mental state.
Then she makes a small mistake and the authorities come calling. Can he learn to adjust to the real world for the sake of his daughter..?
Director Debra Granik launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence with her brilliant backwoods thriller Winter's Bone and this drama should do the same for young McKenzie, who gives an astounding performance here. Foster, too, is perfect in a deeply compelling, utterly convincing movie.
