The Sea of Trees | Rotten Tomatoes

The Sea of Trees

PG-13

Released Aug 26, 2016

1 hr. 50 min.

Drama

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List

17%

52 Reviews

Tomatometer

43%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

Claudiu I

Few bad scenes, but otherwise nice movie about sorrow and moving on after a tragedy. A bit slow, but carefully constructed, touching and delicate this movie worth to be seen.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/07/23

Full Review

Kelly V

I found this film beautiful, poignant, engaging, and cathartic. McConaughey's performance was brilliant, touching, and believable. I cannot fathom why the critics derailed it so. It's a movie that will linger with me for some time, which I consider the hallmark of a good film: thought provoking.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/23

Full Review

John R

Apparently this movie was pretty much panned by critics and audiences alike, but I loved it. It almost felt like a portrayal of Dante's descent into Hell, but if Dante was actually considering killing himself instead of just looking at Hell. McConaughey enters the forest, passes the gates of death and decides he wants to stay, to die. He even puts on the clothes of a dead man after putting off his own coat, one which his wife gave him, symbolizing his will to live. But, the act of driving Ken Watanabe, who wants to live, through the forest reminds McConaughey of his own will to live. The stuff about the spirits in the woods and Naomi Watts being with McConaughey in spirit form was par for the course of modern spirituality. I could take or leave that portion of the narrative. All in all, I enjoyed it. I love Ken Watanabe in everything, McConaughey is reliably good and the backstory with Watts was really engaging.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Green C

I don't understand the low ratings. I enjoyed the scenes in the forest, not so much the scenes with Watts. Interesting story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/22

Full Review

Jerry K

I really appreciated this film. It was thought provoking, had a very nice stillness to the pace and a very moving story. Fundamentally about relationships, profound sadness and the mourning of a loved one and lost opportunities. The relationship between the two individuals in the Sea of Trees was integral to the story and presented a non western view of life, death and passing into the next phase of existence. The couples relationship is revisited throughout the film through flashbacks that tie the story together. Unlike many films I've seen, this one has left an impression when most don't.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/14/22

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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

The Sea of Trees does not work.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 26, 2016

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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
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
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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