Contrary to the title of this film, this film leaves an impression.
There’s a scene where a father and a daughter both try to peel an orange in one long spiral. I do that when I peel oranges, and my daughter tries to copy me. I like that. It’s a glimpse of intimacy that makes gives this film a bit of life. There are scenes of bonding and warmth and family. Scenes where it feels like everything will be alright. That there will be peace and comfort, and maybe even happiness. But there’s an undercurrent of sadness that runs throughout this story of a father and a daughter trying to find home.
There is a lot left unsaid in this film. The characters express their emotions in few words, and the root causes of those emotions in none at all. But we can see the darkness and the pain in these characters. Ben Foster gives an understated performance that shines some light on the isolation and depression that many veterans with PTSD endure. Each person handles that experience differently, and each needs to find their own way of coping with it. In this case, he must not only find peace for himself, but he must raise his daughter, Tom (played by Thomasin McKenzie, who gives a heartbreaking performance). Tom, meanwhile knows no other life. And when she sees what it’s like to have daily human interaction and be part of a community, their sense of home is tested like never before.
It’s a good movie, though its slow pace does tend to strain. Particularly in the first couple acts. I imagine watching in the theater would have been a little different than in my living room, where the distractions are always tempting. And that’s kind of ironic, I suppose, given the nature of this film.