The Sea of Trees

Was there a major edit made for the U.S. release? I'd read that it started off good and the ending got convoluted, but the film was consistently well played throughout. Regardless of any changes, watching this taught me again that critics are fickle and you need to see something yourself. There can be a negative mob mentality if a film gets bad press early on, even if people don't really know why. McConaughey's acting was subdued for his character and it fit the role. I won't give away the plot twists but I'd recommend this as much as any recent, well-received movie. The atmosphere was unique and low-key, and I couldn't find major faults, though I wasn't totally surprised by a certain driving scene.

I can't remember the last time I wanted to see a film so badly just to see what all the bad reception was about. For what was my most anticipated movie of 2015 to suddenly get forgotten after one screening at a festival, which that alone is bad sigh that your movie is bad. I loved "Elephant" and I couldn't wait to see this, but my heart sank after seeing the bad press the film got from the Cannes screening. Even reading the bad reviews I still couldn't get a gasp of how this turned out bad and it only made me want to see the movie even more. And I finally got a chance to watch it and while I don't think it's as awful as people have said, but this is unfortunately a messy film that could have easily been good. If only it was in the right hands. I remember a time when I couldn't stand McConaughey, but he really has proved himself as an actor that it eventually did win me over. And in this movie I would say that McConaughey did a decent performance and in the scenes where the character is having a breakdown I thought he was pretty good. Unfortunately it wasn't a great performance and that's because there was plenty of times where I found myself laughing at the wrong moments. There's a scene in this movie where McConaughey character falls over and lands straight down onto his face, and the sound of him in pain was so weird but laughable at the same time. I can't believe Gus Van Sant looked at that scene and thought it was good. Like, Come on Gus. Gus Van Sant has made many movies that I liked and some that I consider misfires. But I personally think that this is Gus Van Sant biggest misfire, because there's nothing special in the film making and a lot of things felt like it was missing something. It lacks detail and there's so many things in this that I felt was a miss opportunity of being great. And the cheap flashback scenes really do drag this out and wasn't that interesting that I kinda zoned out every time it cuts back. It would have been great if there was a little bit of Mystery to McConaughey character of why he's there and what is he's motivations to bring himself to do this and drop little hints to get us thinking. But instead we get lazy flashback scenes with him and his wife (played by Naomi Watts) that makes it very clear straight away of what he's motivation are for ending he's life, because it's that predictable. This movie is so predictable that I saw a lot of things coming. Like if a scene seems a bit too happy (for a depressing movie like this), you know something bad is going to happen and of course something bad happens. This really hurts the movie in terms of the emotional elements, because when there's tragic or emotional happening, I'm not really feeling it as I saw it coming miles away. For a premise like this, that involves two suicidal people lost deep in the Forrest that's known for people going there to take their own lives, should at least been interesting. It should have a took a risk by asking unique and challenging questions that would make you think. What really makes us so alive? Or What's the reason to stay alive? It should have challenge you as an audience member and while some may disagree with it, at least it gets you talking. Overall rating: The Sea of Trees was dull, empty and a massive disappointment. But hey, at least I finally know why this was panned by critics.

Something I say here might be a spoiler. You might want to read this AFTER you've seen the movie. I thought the film was put together very well. I don't know why the Cannes audience filled the theater with boos. Maybe the audience in the theater was filled with booze. (That was opinion and/or bad joke.) I watched the movie using my limited knowledge of Japanese folklore, Buddhism, and conventional American religion. I was watching Matthew's character dealing with Japanese beliefs. Comparing his beliefs with those of a Japanese. Even though he said that as a scientist he looked at things differently. I have two or three different thoughts as to what he went through with the Ken Watanabe character. So, I will not offer my opinion here. However, each of my thoughts could be the right answer. I do know I was not bored with the film. The frustration he had contributed to where he ended up. What he didn't know became clear. I liked the film. Will I sit through it again? Maybe not. Will I buy the DVD? Maybe not. Will I try to find "Behind the Scenes" videos for this film? Yes. I love to watch those. Therefore, I gave the film an excellent rating. Your thoughts may vary.

If you thought Gus van Sant would be more suited to make an interesting picture about the phenomenon of the Japanese suicide forest Aokigahara than the creators of the recent bland horror movie The Forest would, you thought wrong. Say what you will about The Forest, it had no other pretensions than being an average spooky flick (except maybe for the 'average' part, but then they should have tried harder). The Sea of Trees, not so. It's a bold potpourri of supernatural thrills, Japanese versus Western belief systems, tear jerking drama and philosophical reflections on the nature of suicide. At least, it likes to be. It sadly fails in every respect, making this a prime candidate for the title of 'Worst Gus van Sant Movie'. The ingredients for a terrific movie are all there. There's a haunting mystery (a forest where people voluntarily come to kill themselves), a shot at emotionally compelling drama (a husband and wife not getting along but coming together over the latter's impending demise), some damn fine actors (McConaughey, Watanabe, Watts, need I say more?) and lots of wonderful cinematography. The movie only succeeds in offering that last bit to our satisfaction. Whether it's the director or the screenwriter who couldn't be bothered with stringing it all together seamlessly into an intriguing whole is hard to tell. It's certainly not the actors, as all of them appear bored or distracted. In Watanabe's case, matters are made worse due to him apparently having been hired as Hollywood's token Japanese man for this occasion, making him rant on about Japanese superstition ad nauseam. We simply can't learn to care about either him or his American companion, who set out to kill himself but had a change of heart in his desire to help his new local friend get home alive. It's seemingly enough of a motivation after the devastating death of his wife to make him find new faith in life and forget all about his suicidal plans, but not for us to go along with his new lust for living. We simply cannot care about it all, which also stems from Van Sant's odd choice of going nigh 'full Hollywood' in his dramatic scenes set in the States. Usually he opts for what many consider a more European style, but in this scenario, studio tear jerking methods got his preference. And so we have to sit through dull and ultimately predictable flashbacks explaining the protagonist's desire to end his life, even though, illogically, he and his wife never really got along anyway. The scenes in the forest, meanwhile, offer little more captivating moments or surprising twists. Admirably shot and lit as they may be (though much of it not actually filmed in Japan, but rather Stateside) and accompanied for the most part by decently melancholy music, we still grow restless over the lack of empathy triggered at our side of things. It's not so bad that it makes us want to kill ourselves, but it's still frighteningly frustrating to come to realize that a director who often has something worthwhile to share with his audience, really has absolutely nothing noteworthy to say about a fascinating topic of conversation as the so-called Sea of Trees.

This movie was so moving, beautiful and so well acted. Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe are so good in this. Make sure you can sit down and really focus on it. I don't get the reviews that describe it as slow. I loved it! The critical reception of this film boggles my mind. Some of the worst movies gain critical praise, and gems like this go unnoticed.

For anyone who has given this film a mediocre or poor rating, I must ask this: Are you CRAZY??!?! This film is, in a word, stunning. In its simplicity, it is profound. In its honesty, it touches a raw nerve in the deep places of the human heart. In its irony, pain and hope inevitably collide. The acting is flawless. The script is seamless. The scenery and camera shots are superb. The one thing I wanted -- more background as to why Takumi Nakamura (played by Ken Watanabe) decided to enter the forest -- was, alas, not to be ... for very good reason. This film is one of a kind and not to be missed.

I just saw "Sea of Trees." Ignore the critics. I do love indie movies, so perhaps I'm more wired to see the unusual and avoid the car chases, unfunny comedies, sexually explicit, or plain horribly written films. It's beautifully written, well-acted, and the scenery is stunning. It explores many themes of regret, life after death, compassion, culture, marital pain, belief. It really is a modern day "fable," and it takes you on a journey moving through time both linearly, as well as in flashbacks. There are several surprise moments that I didn't anticipate. Just because a film delves into some emotional content and makes you think, it shouldn't be dismissed as a "tearjerker" or unworthy of viewer consideration. I'm going to promote this film on facebook as well.

I lived near Aokigahara when I taught at a private institution on Mt. Fuji. One day my friend and I hiked into it hoping to find adventure. We found no dead bodies, no skeletons, no signs of any humans having been there, and our compasses worked fine. Basically, it is an area of lava tubes, some partially collapsed leaving numerous holes of a variety of sizes. Our conclusion was that amateur hikers probably stepped in a hole and broke their legs and couldn't get out. It is geographically confusing as one tube looks more or less like another, but the place is not far from a highway and it would be nearly impossible to get lost there despite what the movie may make you believe. Oh, yeah, the movie. Despite a rather good cast, the film simply falls flat. The actors basically go through the motions to pick up their paychecks. The best, or a least most believable, part is the relationship between the Matthew McConaughey character and his wife, played by Naomi Watts, and even that is inconsistent. It's a movie that tries to bring up deep themes but falls short. The adding of spiritual and religious elements just muddies the water even further. The movie suffers from the worst fate that can afflict a movie that attains to be philosophic - some parts are absolutely laughable. I'm not sure I really cared about what happened to any of the characters. There was never any angst built by the plot and you will not be sitting on the edge of your seat. In fact, you'll miss nothing if you do the laundry while the film is playing. If this was a ploy for the local area to stimulate suicide tourism, it probably failed, though suicidal thoughts may have crossed the minds of some who were forced to watch the movie to its conclusion. Although some scenes may produce unintentional humor, I would not recommend watching it. Too bad, because there really could be a good movie built around the place.

I am rather surprised that The Sea of Trees was booed at Cannes mostly because it is a very good movie but also because of the adolescent behaviour of the audience! The film has everything in it that American cinema goers don't want to see such as suicide, cancer, illness, a high functioning alcoholic, an RTA, and the ugly side of marriage! I suspect the Cannes audience found it too close to home, a painful mirror if you will. The film is a meditation on relationship, life, death and afterlife. It has a lot of unsettling themes that sooner or later we are all confronted with... Cannes and the general public are obviously just not ready for this. Gus van Sant has not disappointed this viewer. Excellent!

I think the movie is underrated. I know it is not one of the best movies that anyone should watch,but it is not that awful. A great crew in this movie. The script is not that good.The movie will really touches u.The drama was good. A good experience for anyone. there is no doubt that Matthew did a great job at this movie, but he should take care of his coming movies. I compare between his role in this movie and mud. I think the difference can not be noticed. The same of his voice at both movies. overall the whole cast and the movie is very good for me. I recommend the lovers of drama to watch this movie especially the psycho movie lovers. do not be so harsh on Matthew. Each actor need a variety.It is a good one