Year of Release: 2016
Director: Jason Zada
Starring: Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, Noriko Sakura, Stephanie Vogt, Yuho Yamashita, Gen Seto
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
"The Forest" is director Jason Zada's directorial debut. The film follows the story of Sara Price, a woman living with her fiancé Rob, in the US. She receives a call from the Japanese police, notifying her they suspect her sister is dead, as she was seen going into Aokigahara forest. Since Jess, her sister, is also her twin, Sara immediately grabs a plane ticket and travels to Japan in order to uncover what has happened to her. While investigating the disappearance, Sara makes friends with a reporter by the name of Aiden, who explains to her more details surrounding the Sea of Trees forest. He tells her how the place is known for being a place where people go to kill themselves, and that the forest supposedly has some darkness to it. As they set out to explore more, they uncover the tent which Sara identifies as being Jess's, and she decides to stay the night, something that Aiden and their Japanese host, Michi, strongly discourage. As she's unmoved, Sara decides to stay, with Aiden by her side. During the night Sara sees some teenager who tells her about Jess, and that she shouldn't trust Aiden. As dawn approaches and a new day starts, they decide to continue exploring, without waiting for Michi, leading them in different paths, with Sara's increasing paranoia, leading her away from Aiden. As she falls into a whole in the forest, she discovers more than she anticipated.
"The Forest" is a horror/mystery thriller which lives from the iconic aspect that surrounds the well known "Sea of Trees" in Japan (which was also used by Gus Van Sant in his own film of that same name, featuring Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe). The film adds a supernatural tone to it, with supposedly the spirits of the deceased becoming part of this evil ecosystem that the the Forest hides within. Sadly the film for the most part, poorly illustrates the exploration of Sara throughout the forest, and her deep desire to uncover the location of her sister. Most of what we know about Sara is disclosed from her childhood memories and a particular trauma she focuses on. The screenplay never bothers to add substantial backdrop for the characters that inhabit it. Even the darkness that surrounds the forest, feels gratuitously demonstrated. There's never a truly unsettling motif built for why the forest has that "darkness" and therefore whatever scares the film tries to create, are always very episodic and not very effective. The cast tries to deliver conviction and genuine scares, but the film lacks a stronger point of view, and a stronger screenplay. Forgettable.
"The Forest" is a horror/mystery thriller which lives from the iconic aspect that surrounds the well known "Sea of Trees" in Japan (which was also used by Gus Van Sant in his own film of that same name, featuring Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe). The film adds a supernatural tone to it, with supposedly the spirits of the deceased becoming part of this evil ecosystem that the the Forest hides within. Sadly the film for the most part, poorly illustrates the exploration of Sara throughout the forest, and her deep desire to uncover the location of her sister. Most of what we know about Sara is disclosed from her childhood memories and a particular trauma she focuses on. The screenplay never bothers to add substantial backdrop for the characters that inhabit it. Even the darkness that surrounds the forest, feels gratuitously demonstrated. There's never a truly unsettling motif built for why the forest has that "darkness" and therefore whatever scares the film tries to create, are always very episodic and not very effective. The cast tries to deliver conviction and genuine scares, but the film lacks a stronger point of view, and a stronger screenplay. Forgettable.
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