International trailer for The Sea of Trees, that originally came with intro by Ken Watanabe.
Arthur Brennan treks into Aokigahara, known as The Sea of Trees, a mysterious dense forest at the base of Japan's Mount Fuji where people go to contemplate life and death. Having found the perfect place to die, he encounters Takumi Nakamura, a Japanese man who has also lost his way. The two men begin a journey of reflection and survival, which affirms Arthur's will to live and reconnects him to his love with his wife.
The Sea of Trees finds roots in its story thanks to a factual landmark in Japan. The Aokigahara Forest is famously known as the "suicide forest", hosting an average of three suicides a week. With all the death, the forest also has a reputation for containing a high mount of Yurei, also known as angry ghosts. If the idea sounds vaguely familiar, the film The Forest visited the very same location to tell its haunting story of suicide and angry spirits.
The idea of a feature length film showcasing misery and thoughts of suicide is not exactly any moviegoers idea of escape. The Sea of Trees international trailer does make it a point to show off the film's strong casting with Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe, in hopes of at least convincing viewers, who are swayed by the plot, might instead be drawn to the hope of strong performances. But this idea might also be smashed on the rocks considering that the film has not been getting much love from its early screenings.
The Sea of Trees premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival as the opening feature and was booed by both audiences and critics alike. With such poor reception, the film struggled to find a distributor, somehow landing Lionsgate and Raodside Attractions; an achievement in itself.
The one thing we do love about the international trailer is the score; it's beautiful. So maybe this trailer is just too honest about what's to be expected: Misery with a splash of awesome music.