Remember the Natalie Dormer led The Forest? Well, there is another big horror movie coming out set in a real-life spooky forest in Japan and although this film is set in that same spooky forest, this is not that horror movie. Nor is it a horror movie at all actually!
The Sea of Trees is a film directed by someone more adept to big dramas Gus van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk) and this film is expected to be no different, though the forest still looks incredibly spooky (remind me to never visit Aokigahara Forest if I ever get to see Japan).
Sea of Trees stars Mathew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe and was actually filmed back in 2014, after McConaughey had completed filming Interstellar and just won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club – so he was potentially at his peak when this movie was filmed. However, the reason for this film being delayed in its release is that it received quite harsh criticism (0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – ouch) when premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last year and so lost steam as they looked to release it to the U.S. Instead, the film is expected to be released in Japan, which is the target country for this particular trailer.
Whether the film has been altered to appeal more to a Japanese audience this time or whether this is a true reflection of the original film, we’re not sure.
The story follows an American man (McConaughey) who travels to Japan to go to the Aokigahara Forest, one of the most notorious suicide destinations. There, he comes across a Japanese man intent on ending his life (Watanabe), and the two strike up a connection as they discuss their lives and their decision to end it all. The film also stars Naomi Watts.
Check out the Japanese trailer for Sea of Trees below.
The tone of the film seems rather grim and sombre and also looks like it may require a lot of tissues to get through, so you have been warned. My Japanese is also not good enough (read, nonexistent) so I can’t help you with the rest of the stuff Ken Watanabe is trying to say in this trailer. The film doesn’t look that bad in this trailer, but not necessarily good either, as nothing stands out as particularly captivating.
At present, there are no plans to release this film locally, though if it is really that bad as some critics have said it was, then I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one coming out straight to DVD and probably worth avoiding anyway.
Last Updated: February 22, 2016
