The Sea of Trees

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 Aokigahara, an infamous suicide hotspot in Japan, 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. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing mere $825,577 on a $25 million budget. Plot Arthur Brennan, an adjunct physics professor, travels to Aokigahara ("The Suicide Forest") with a sealed package. Once there, he attempts to end his life via drug overdose but encounters a Japanese man named Takumi Nakamura. Takumi entered the forest two days prior and slit his wrists because he was demoted at work, but soon realized he would miss his wife and daughter. Since then, he has tried to escape the dense sea of trees but cannot find the trail back. Arthur decides to help but the two end up disoriented and lost. To keep their minds occupied, they share details about their lives, including the names of Takumi's wife and daughter: "Kiiro" and "Fuyu."