First trailer for Gus Van Sant's next film 'The Sea of Trees' starring Matthew McConaughey

Image from Indiewire

By Darian Scalamoni

            Gus Van Sant hasn’t had a real hit since his Oscar darling, Milk back in 2008. Since then he has released Promised Land which was a boring, bland mess and recently at Cannes, he showcased his latest film, The Sea of Trees. The film was met with backlash though and full-fledged negative reviews. Today, the controversial film was given a trailer, one that seems to not truly illustrate what the actual plot of the movie is.

            The Sea of Trees follows Arthur Brennan, an American professor who travels to Japan in the idst of a personal crisis. As he wanders through a mysterious forest with a dark past, he experiences flashbacks of his fraught but loving relationship with his wife Joan and meets an enigmatic stranger, Takumi, who is lost and injured. Arthur devotes himself to saving Takumi and returning him hofe to safety and the two embark on a spiritual, life-changing journey of friendship, discovery, and healing.

            The plot seems interesting enough and with a talented filmmaker like Gus Van Sant along with a cast full of Academy Award nominated actors (Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe) that it should’ve been a success. The Sea of Trees will be released in theaters on August 26^th. Check out the trailer below!