Summary
A veteran with severe PTSD and his thirteen-year-old daughter live in a nature preserve near Portland, Oregon until they are discovered. When they are forced to return to society, one adapts more easily than the other.
My Thoughts
Will (Ben Foster, “Hostiles”) is a veteran with severe PTSD. Anytime he hears helicopters he has flashbacks. It’s hard for him to be near other people for too long without feeling uncomfortable. In fact, the only one that Will really connects with is his thirteen-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”). Together, Will and Tom live in the serene woods of a nature preserve near Portland, Oregon. They gather plants and mushrooms for food, sleep in a tent, and use modern conveniences only when absolutely necessary. When Will needs money for supplies for the camp, he goes into town, collects medications from the VA and sells them to junkies that also live in the park. Will teaches Tom everything she needs to know about how to survive, including teaching her in what she’d be learning in school. Tom and Will live in harmony in the woods, until one day a hiker stumbles upon their camp and sends rangers in to find them. Torn from their Eden, Will and Tom are eventually relocated, but things aren’t the same; Will has far more trouble adjusting to society than Tom, but both of them are determined to stay together.
Seahorses and Bumblebees
This movie moves at the pace of nature. It doesn’t care about the busy lives we live outside of the theater; it expects us to take time to appreciate the world presented before us. The park in which Tom and Will live is beautifully shot; light spills through the pine branches in heavenly ways; the world is lush and filled with life. It seems that the world where they live is heaven, and the way they live, for the most part without reliance on others, is commendable. Will and Tom are happy with their unconventional way of living, and at first, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that. Debra Granik (director of “Winter’s Bone”) does a great job of convincing you that the way this father and daughter are living, separated from the world, is almost healthy and normal, before she pulls you out into the real world. It makes the film infinitely more emotional when they’re forced to start living with society again.
There are a couple recurring metaphors throughout this movie; the first is a seahorse. While Tom and Will are walking through the woods one day, they stumble upon a seahorse necklace lying beside a path. Later, as Tom is reading a book, she comes upon a section about seahorses and notes that they pair for life. Will and Tom are like the seahorses. The two of them know and understand each other better than anyone else in the world. They can tell each other things without words, with just a click of their tongues. Their relationship is very special, especially because of the way they live. They both take care of each other. Tom will comfort her father when he’s having flashbacks, she helps with food prep, and she’s incredibly realistic about their situation. Will is faster and stronger, he’s resourceful, more experienced and he knows how to get through the woods without being seen; he helps Tom when she’s cold, and when they can’t find food, he can provide in other ways. The two of them work perfectly together; their relationship is incredible unique. One of the other metaphors comes later in the film, when Tom and Will meet a woman who keeps bees. The bees and their hive become a metaphor for finding a place where you belong. Both metaphors are incredibly powerful, and they further implement the serenity and harmony of nature, which is another recurring theme in this movie.
Both Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie are incredible in their roles. I’m rather familiar with Ben Foster; I think he’s a really good actor when he has a great director behind him. If given the right role, he really elevates the character to greatness. This film is one of his shining moments, and I honestly wouldn’t at all be surprised to hear his name come up around Oscar season, because this is probably his best role to date. Thomasin McKenzie I am vastly unfamiliar with. Apparently she was in “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies”, but I could not for the life of me tell you who she was. She was incredible in this film, however. While Tom and Will are the main characters, we primarily see things from Tom’s perspective. She shows an amazing amount of maturity in the way she depicts her discomfort as she tries to adjust to society. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if we hear McKenzie’s name come up during awards season too.
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s secondary characters. Many of the actors seem like they’re local talent that the director probably found last minute. Some of the dialogue feels stiff when not delivered correctly, and there are a few moments where the actors literally look uncomfortable in front of the camera. The actors aren’t ever so terrible that it completely removed me from the film, but there’s a noticeable difference between Foster and McKenzie and the rest of the actors. Another minor problem was pacing. This is a slower paced movie , but near the end of the film, it becomes relatively apparent how the film will end, but it still takes its time getting to the inevitable ending. I can’t say I was ever bored or restless for the film to finish, but being able to predict the ending twenty minutes before the ending comes takes some of the wind out of the film’s sails.
Verdict
This is a really good movie. It’s a great look at the real effects of PTSD, but it’s also a very emotional ride through recovery, through growing up and growing apart, and finding your place in the world. This movie is not for everyone; I could see people with PTSD or family members who have witnessed family members with PTSD finding this difficult to watch. Though the film is only rated PG, it’s for a mature audience. This is a film that will really impact some people in a powerful way, but I urge caution to younger audiences in particular.
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