15 Best Hidden Gem Movies Of 2018

4. Leave No Trace

If you've read the premise of Leave No Trace, you probably think you know where it's going. Following a war veteran living out in the wilderness with his daughter, their isolated, peaceful life is rudely interrupted when they're caught on private land, with social services being brought in to question the potential damage and harm caused by a parent choosing to bring up their child in this unconventional way.

It's a premise that's played out predictably in the likes of Captain Fantastic before, but Leave No Trace constantly attempts to subvert those narrative expectations, instead being more eager to interrogate the relationship between these two co-dependent people. Ben Foster continues to be one of the most underrated character actors of his generation as the father who can't reconcile his own demons with his child's desire for a more conventional upbringing, but it's newcomer Thomasin McKenzie who plays said daughter who's the knockout here.

It's a quiet, slow and unassuming film, but it's always touching, and home to some of the most heartbreaking sequences of the year.