Thomasin McKenzie, the star of this father-daughter drama, has been described as the next Jennifer Lawrence. And the fact that I’ve mentioned Lawrence in the first line of this review ties in with many of the film’s themes. Is there more to life than celebrities and/or the search for the Next Big Thing? Debra Granik’s follow-up to Winter’s Bone (the Oscar-nominated thriller that made Lawrence a star) finds a lovely answer to that question.
When we first meet ex-army veteran Will (Ben Foster) and his tomboyish teenage daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), they’re surviving (even thriving), living off-grid in an Oregon forest. Tom has a secret longing to stay put but Will is happy to keep moving. That small difference between them changes everything. Soon, they’re living in a pretty little house and going to church. And Will? He’s in hell.
At no point do father and daughter exchange a cross word which, at first, struck me as implausible. Tom, like the boy in post-apocalyptic drama The Road, never whines or indulges in backchat. Put these films together and you could write the survivalist’s guide to parenting perfection.
By the end, though, Will and Tom feel all too human. And their predicament will have you in tears.
There’s no mention of masturbation or menstruation. Yet almost everyone asks Tom if she feels safe with her dad, and the question of whether she is safe creates staggering amounts of tension.
Maybe she’s his substitute son. Maybe she’s his surrogate wife. Suffice to say, his libido and her physical development exist in a similar realm. And what he’s suffering from — post-traumatic stress disorder — can’t be fixed overnight.
The subtle, non-judgmental script (co-written by Granik) complements visuals that are full of quiet verve, while snatches of folk music from Portland-based musicians Michael Hurley and Marisa Anderson make your insides jigger.
Foster, meanwhile, has a perversely compelling presence. Imagine Justin Timberlake’s eyes cut and pasted onto an old potato. He’s mesmerising.
Still, it’s McKenzie’s film. A grimly hilarious scene involves Will being shown what Californians look for in a “real” Christmas tree. Firs aren’t exempt from body fascism and, naturally, runts are cast aside. The same thing may happen to 17-year-old McKenzie, who’s as talented as Lawrence but neither tall nor classically beautiful. No matter. See this movie and she’ll be a Big Thing in your life for ever.
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