The Sea of Trees

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The Sea of Trees

PG-13

Released Aug 26, 2016

1h 50m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

17%

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52 Reviews

44%

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1,000+ Ratings

After traveling to Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher (Matthew McConaughey) meets a mysterious stranger (Ken Watanabe) who takes him on a life-changing journey of love, discovery and redemption.

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Critics Consensus

Dull, maudlin, and fundamentally empty, The Sea of Trees extinguishes the contributions of a talented cast and marks a depressing low point in director Gus Van Sant's career.

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Adam Graham

Detroit News

Van Sant seems unsure of what kind of movie he's making or what he's trying to say. It's best to just enjoy the scenery and look the other way.

Rated: C

Sep 2, 2016

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John Hartl

Seattle Times

No wonder Watts rules the movie. She's playing the only remotely sympathetic character; the men seem consumed by grief and guilt and platitudes.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 1, 2016

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

The Sea of Trees does not work.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 26, 2016

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

This schlocky dud from the trailblazing American auteur remains a hard pill to swallow, even for fans of the trio of notable actors headlining.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 30, 2020

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Part of the wonder of The Sea of Trees is that Van Sant refuses to ever actually define the journey for his characters or for his audience.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 22, 2020

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Lisa Laman

The Spool

The underwhelming script for The Sea of Trees keeps weighing down McConaughey's performance as well as the rest of the movie.

Aug 28, 2020

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Kiro G

Its a good slow movie to watch. Good performance by the three leading characters. Sad theme, perfectly to watch on rainy day.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/22/24

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R B

It was a predictable story, but the way it was done, I really enjoyed it. I loved hearing a little about Aokigahara Forest aka the Suicide Forest in Japan, as well as some Japanese legends. I don't know if the legends were real or not, but they were interesting. It also made me realize (yet again) that sometimes, its the little things that two people in love do that shows how much you really care. 6/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/24

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Rebecca v

This was a movie I just glanced over and glad I stopped. After the trailer I was invested. I watched the movie alone and it was something you can self reflect on later. Loving, hating someone while having grief was very real.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/21/24

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Horror fan 4

Despite the disappointing box office this was a very good movie. Lead by a trio of actors who made this movie work. I especially loved the story and directing. Tim Treakle

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/29/24

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Sara W

It is definitely worth a watch. The ending is the best ever. You'll be happy you kept watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

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Beth M

Thought-provoking existential film with themes of guilt, forgiveness & redemption. Nice performances by cast. It is shame it was so trashed by "critics".

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/07/24

Full Review

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Matthew McConaughey

Arthur Brennan

Ken Watanabe

Takumi Nakamura

Naomi Watts

Joan Brennan

Katie Aselton

Gabriella Laforte

Jordan Gavaris

Eric

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The Sea of Trees: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

After traveling to Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher (Matthew McConaughey) meets a mysterious stranger (Ken Watanabe) who takes him on a life-changing journey of love, discovery and redemption.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Gil Netter, Ken Kao, Kevin Halloran, F. Gary Gray, E. Brian Dobbins, Allen Fischer, Chris Sparling
Screenwriter: Chris Sparling
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Gil Netter, Waypoint Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing Images|Mature Thematic Material|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 12, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.0K
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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