In a 2018 interview with FF2 Media about Leave No Trace, Granik discusses the themes of the film and what drew her to creating the film:I realized while reading it that one of the turning points in a girl’s coming-of-age is coming to terms with the fact that as much as you may care about someone, you can’t necessarily save them or even help them. You can be loving and tolerant, but you can’t fix them. And that’s something she’s really struggling with in a really robust way, especially when they’re in a new setting.
In a 2018 interview with FF2 Media about Leave No Trace, Granik discusses the themes of the film and what drew her to creating the film: I realized while reading it that one of the turning points in a girl’s coming-of-age is coming to terms with the fact that as much as you may care about someone, you can’t necessarily save them or even help them. You can be loving and tolerant, but you can’t fix them. And that’s something she’s really struggling with in a really robust way, especially when they’re in a new setting.