I don't understand why this movie was booed at the Cannes Film Festival. This is a beautiful story. It is a story in which we learn so many lessons about life's most difficult moments and how one can find the courage to survive. Excellent acting and beautiful script. The cinematography is beautiful.
An American man, Arthur Brennan, played by Matthew McConaughey travels to the "Suicide Forest" (Aokigahara forest) to kill himself at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, the site of numerous suicides. There he encounters a Japanese man, Takumi Nakamura, played by Ken Watanabe, who wants to kill himself as well, and both men begin a journey of self- reflection and survival.
But more than the suicide theme, there is the story of Arthur Brennan and his relationship with his wife, Joan, played by Naomi Watts, which is told to the viewer with a series of flashbacks. The core problems that exist in so many marriages are brought to the surface and examined during the unfolding of the story. It is a stark reminder of how easily we sometimes let love and relationships deteriorate when we don't have to. Thinking we will one day have time to fix the problem.
Beautiful story and excellent acting from all. I loved this film.
