The Forest

The Forest

Starring Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, Yukiyoshi Ozawa

Directed by Jason Zada

The Story:
Twins Sara and Jess Price (Natalie Dormer) have always been close, and yet they couldn't be more opposite.  Jess is more a free spirit, who also suffers from depression.  Sara is the more level-headed of the two, married, and grounded in reality.  After Jess takes a teaching job in Tokyo, she goes missing, and Sara travels to Japan to find her.

When she arrives, she finds Jess wandered into the Aokigahara forest, a place known to the Japanese as a location where people go to commit suicide.  Not believing her sister to be dead, she ventures into the woods with Michi (Yukiyoski Ozawa) - a man who goes into the wood frequently to find dead bodies - and Aiden (Taylor Kinney) - an Australian reporter.  As they venture into the forbidden woods, reality and fantasy become blurred, and Sara learns that she can't trust everything she sees.

The Synopsis:
"The Forest" was a wasted effort on what could've been two incredibly powerful stories.  The first story centers on the unnatural bond between twins.  It's been scientifically proven that there's a deeper connection between twins than normal siblings, and that could've been a bigger focus to this story.  Instead, all it did was make Sara even more annoying because all she would say is "I know she's alive, I feel her, we have a connection" over and over again. 

The second missed opportunity - and this is a big one - is the concept of the Aokigahara forest itself.  Instead of focusing on Asian actors dealing with an issue that's near and dear to their land and culture, "The Forest" decided to make it a story about white females, and a white male lead.  There's so much more that the story could've went if it was told by Asians who have witnesses the terrors of the forest firsthand.  For over thirty years, Japanese people have gone into the forest to commit suicide.  Part of the fact as to why the forest is so fertile is due to the rotting corpses of those who couldn't take life anymore.  Every year over 100 bodies are found in the forest, and the film could've focused more on that than another PG-13 style horror, because this horror is real.

To even call this film a "horror" is a loose interpretation.  There's very little to be scared of here, unless you count the cheap jump scares scattered throughout to make sure you're still awake.  Then there's the typical "twist" ending that's supposed to leave the viewers awed in wonder at the magnificent storytelling - but instead it leaves us with a sour taste in our mouths, and shows what terrible writing was really done.

I would be re-missed if I didn't end this review with the special stars of the film...

I'm referring of course to Taylor Kinney's nips.

Seriously, it must've been cold in that forest, because they were poking out through the whole film.  It totally took my mind off any type of story, as I couldn't stop laughing at them.

The Summary:
If you're looking for a truly horrifying story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you all the thrills you're longing for, maybe you should take the road and not the forest.

The Score: C+