Netflix’s Hidden Indie Gem Starring Ben Foster Scores A Perfect 100% On Rotten Tomatoes – Have You Seen It Yet?

This Indie movie starring Ben Foster tells the powerful story of a father and daughter living off the grid. It is now streaming on Netflix and other platforms.

- May 15, 2025 | 1:06 PM IST

All About Netflix’s Hidden Gem With A 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score!(Photo Credit –Netflix)

Leave No Trace has quietly resurfaced, now streaming across Netflix in multiple regions and appearing on other platforms. Even though it’s not a noisy blockbuster, the film has earned something louder than hype: unanimous praise.

Rotten Tomatoes, the watchful critic barometer, rarely hands out perfect scores, but here’s where this quiet, haunting story stands out. It’s one of the most-reviewed films to hold a pristine 100% rating, and that doesn’t happen often.

Leave No Trace: Life In The Margins

The film follows a father, Will, and his teenage daughter, Tom, tucked away from society in the dense woods on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Their life is quiet, self-sustaining, and seemingly untouched by the chaos beyond the trees, but the stillness cracks after a single misstep forces them into contact with a world they’ve long avoided.

According to The Mirror, the film’s synopsis states, “When their idyllic life is shattered, both are put into social services. After clashing with their new surroundings, Will (Ben Foster) and Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) set off on a harrowing journey back to their wild homeland.”

The film, directed by Debra Granik, whose work often pulses with quiet tension, adapts Peter Rock’s novel My Abandonment, which is itself drawn from real-life events. The screenplay, co-written with Anne Rosellini, lingers more on presence than plot, asking the viewer to sit in the silences and navigate the subtleties.

More Than Just A Movie

While some films roar for attention, Leave No Trace whispers, it is almost impossible not to hear it. The performances carry that same honesty, especially Ben Foster. One fan wrote on Rotten Tomatoes, “Ben Foster gives the performance of his career – it’s a knockout. Leave No Trace doesn’t have a false note in it.”

Another added, “Leave No Trace is a film that may have slipped under the radar, but it is worth seeking out because like Lynne Ramsay’s stunning, You Were Never Really Here, this is a testament to the craftmanship and unique vision of a female filmmaker.”

Despite its understated release, the film has found its way onto several critics’ top lists. Meanwhile, another movie, Good Boy, has also entered the Rotten Tomatoes 100% club, landing recently on Amazon Prime. But Leave No Trace holds its own. It is now available for UK Netflix subscribers and is rentable elsewhere on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, and Fandango. It is just a VPN hop away for US viewers.