The Sea of Trees

This article is about the film. For the forest, see Sea of Trees. For other uses, see Sea of Trees (disambiguation)
The Sea of Trees
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGus Van Sant
Written byChris Sparling
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKasper Tuxen
Edited byPietro Scalia
Music byMason Bates
Production
companies
  • Bloom
  • Gil Netter Productions
  • Waypoint Entertainment
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • May 16, 2015 (2015-05-16) (Cannes)
  • August 26, 2016 (2016-08-26) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Japanese
Budget$25 million[1]
Box office$850,985[2]

The Sea of Trees is a 2015 American drama mystery film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Chris Sparling. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts, Katie Aselton and Jordan Gavaris.

The film is about an American man who attempts suicide in Aokigahara, an infamous suicide hotspot in Japan, where he meets a Japanese man who is there for the same reason. Principal photography began on July 28, 2014, in Foxborough, Massachusetts; the production moved to Japan in September of the same year. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4]

The film was released on August 26, 2016, by A24.[5] It received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing mere $825,577 on a $25 million budget.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Watts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Sea of Trees". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "2015 Official Selection". Cannes. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Screenings Guide". Festival de Cannes. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  5. ^ Raup, Jordan (August 8, 2016). "Matthew McConaughey Enters 'The Sea of Trees' in U.S. Trailer For Gus Van Sant's Drama". The Film Stage. Retrieved August 8, 2016.