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The Sea of Trees

The Sea of Trees

Drama · 2016

In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.

Movie details

The Sea of Trees

“Love will bring you home.”

2016 Drama 1h 50m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.2 / 10

Community rating

In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Sea of Trees?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Man Without a Face

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The Starling

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Valkyrie

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Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Gus Van Sant

Written by

Chris Sparling

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey

Arthur Brennan

Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe

Takumi Nakamura

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts

Joan Brennan

Katie Aselton

Katie Aselton

Gabriella Laforte

James Saito

James Saito

Dr. Takahashi

Owen Burke

Owen Burke

Ambulance Tech

R

Ryoko Seta

Airport Desk Agent

Court is in session

Put The Sea of Trees on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.