The Sea of Trees
Short description
Arthur Brennan, an American, travels to Aokigahara, the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji known as a place where people go to end their lives. He intends to die there, but before he can go through with it he encounters Takumi Nakamura, a Japanese man who entered the forest for the same reason and has lost his way. The two men abandon their plans and set out together to find a way out, a journey that turns into a period of reflection on their lives and on what brought them there. Arthur's memories of his marriage to Joan form part of what he confronts along the way.
The film is directed by Gus Van Sant, the sixteenth of the eighteen features he has directed in chronological order, following Promised Land and preceding Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot. Chris Sparling wrote the screenplay and produces alongside Gil Netter and F. Gary Gray. Matthew McConaughey plays Arthur, Ken Watanabe plays Takumi, and Naomi Watts appears as Joan, with Katie Aselton, James Saito and Owen Burke in supporting roles. The production, made in the United States, had a budget of 25 million USD, and the credited crew numbers 264.
Released in 2016, the drama runs 110 minutes. Audience responses are mixed but not hostile: on IMDb it holds 6.1/10 from nearly twenty thousand votes, and on TMDB 6.2/10 from 554 votes. Critics were considerably harsher, giving it 4.1/10 across 53 reviews, a clear gap between professional and viewer opinion.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was booed by critics at the 68th Cannes Film Festival.
- Partially filmed on Mount Fuji in Japan.
- Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe both worked with Christopher Nolan, although not together. McConaughey starred in Interstellar (2014), while Watanabe appeared in Batman Begins (2005) and Inception (2010).
- The film is not based on a book. It was made from an original screenplay, not an adaptation, despite the existence of several books with the same title.
- Some of the filming took place in the town of Ashland, Massachusetts, USA.
- In Aokigahara Forest, also known as “the suicide forest,” at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, an average of three suicides are committed each week. It is said that the forest is inhabited by Japanese ghosts called “Yūrei,” who are filled with self-loathing for what they have done. This story also served as the basis for the short film Shawn4Ever (2012).
- In 2013, the film's screenplay appeared on the “Black List” – an annual ranking of the “most liked” unrealized screenplays according to film studios.
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