The Sea of Trees

The life of a flawed couple badly penned but beautifully shot by Van Sant. A man goes into a Japanese forest where people usually kill themselves and ends up making sense of his troubled relationship with the woman of his life. Seems just banal and mundane, but Van Sant finds the heart of it through Matthew's committed interiorized performance.

I will admit that I didn't hate this nearly as much as Criticker thought I would. The acting is more than passable and Gus Van Sant flexes prowess behind the camera. While the movie drags at points and can get quite boring, it still packs some punch. Flawed, but not awful.

I think the critics got this one wrong. Compelling drama with some excellent performances and powerful scenes. These are two of my favorite actors working at their craft, McConaughey and Watts.

Van Sant's ever deliberate and wandering gaze is perfect for the immense and overwhelming canopy of Aokigahara, shot beautifully as spiritual haven and psychological purgatory depending on the moment. The frosty reception could be down to sluggishness, but here GVS turns the spiritual journey vibe of Gerry into a more accessible series of memories and keepsakes that become a pretty agreeable movie. For me the worst is the awkward overreaches into forest as obstacle over the purely spiritual.

There's a lot of stupid people that don't get Gus Van Sant and that is completely their problem.

49.000

A moving film and one very respectful of the Japanese culture surrounding Aokigahara. Yes, the film can be predictable at times, but that doesn't make it less moving. This is almost a must-see for Japanophiles. But culture aside, it also demonstrates that McConaughey is not just a funny meme; the dude can act.

Entertainment: 3/4 overall, beautifully filmed, but sometimes hard to watch as he struggles to stay alive. Spirit: 2/3 questions about the afterlife and communication with this side. Sustainability: 1/3 lots of trees :)

I didn't realize how much I liked this film until I realized how often I found myself rewatching it. I think we can all mostly agree that the film is beautifully shot. No surprise there. Most people seem to have a problem with the script. I get the criticism, but I don't agree that it's as dull as most people think. Yeah, it's slow, but it's not without poignancy and wisdom.

1448: bitter sweet roamance! not bad !

Matthew McConaughey has been on fire lately. Not for The Sea of Trees (2015). I guess he used this one too cool down so not to burn out. A hike in the woods is good for that sort of thing.

Just let it grow on you. *Okay