The Sea of Trees
| The Sea of Trees | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gus Van Sant |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Chris Sparling |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mason Bates |
| Cinematography | Kasper Tuxen |
| Edited by | Pietro Scalia |
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Production
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| Distributed by | A24 |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Japanese |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $825,577 |
The Sea of Trees is a 2015 American drama mystery film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Chris Sparling. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts, Katie Aselton and Jordan Gavaris.
The film is about an American man who attempts suicide in Mount Fuji's "Suicide Forest" where he meets a Japanese man who is there for the same reason. Principal photography began on July 28, 2014, in Foxborough, Massachusetts; the production moved to Japan in September of the same year. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released on August 26, 2016, by A24.
An American man, Arthur Brennan, (Matthew McConaughey) travels to the "Suicide Forest" (Aokigahara forest) to kill himself at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, the site of numerous suicides. There he encounters a Japanese man, Takumi Nakamura, (Ken Watanabe) who wants to kill himself as well, and both men begin a journey of self-reflection and survival.
It is revealed through flashbacks that Arthur wants to end his life by drug overdose after his wife, Joan, (Naomi Watts) died. As he is about to take a third pill he hears Takumi struggling. Takumi had slit his wrists for being dishonored at work but misses his wife and child and decides he doesn't want to die. He tried to escape the dense sea of trees but cannot find the trail back. Arthur decides to help him but also ends up disoriented in the forest. They survive falls, flash floods and hypothermia as they try to escape the forest and along the way find others who succeeded in ending their lives. They share their stories together and it's revealed that Arthur is there because of his guilt of how he and his wife treated each other in their marriage. After she becomes sick they rekindle their love and reminisce about a favorite place of hers where she would spend hours amongst the orchids. He says he will take her back there when she's ready to. The doctor tells them she will survive and she is transported by ambulance to a recovery hospital. He follows behind her in his car, talking to her on the phone and jokes with her about not knowing what her favorite color or season is. Before she responds a truck plows into the ambulance killing her. At her funeral he tells the director he didn't really know her even after all the years they were married. He says he overheard her sisters talking and one of them sent her a copy of her favorite book. This is the package Arthur brings with him into the forest.
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Wikipedia