Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Forest’

Written by Scott Edwards

There are some places on this planet that invoke strange feelings in a person and while it cannot be fully explained, people continue to visit these mysterious places. The Aokigahara forest in Japan is one of these locations as it has been called the Suicide Forest since so many people find their way into the forest when they do not believe that they can go on living before they kill themselves, and it is believed that there is a power in the forest that cannot be overcome by those with problems. It would surely be a place that you do not want to visit if you have any doubts in your life, or if you're experiencing a sense of sadness since that may encourage the forest to prey upon you.

With her sister working as a teacher in Japan, Sara finds that it is getting more difficult to get a hold of her, but when Jess stops returning her phone calls, Sara knows that there is something wrong. Calling the authorities to try and find her sister, Sara is told that she has entered the Aokigahara woods and very few people are found there alive. Knowing that her twin sister is still alive, Sara decides to head out on her own to find Jess, but sees that little help will be offered by the local people since they fear the Suicide Forest and will not enter it out of fear of the Yurei (ghosts) that are looking for their next victims.

Sitting alone at the local bar, Sara is approached by Aiden who is looking to talk to a pretty girl. Listening to Sara’s woes about finding someone to help her search the forest for her sister, Aiden might be able to help her out. Being somewhat of a reporter, Aiden has made some connections in the area and his friend Michi goes out into the forest once a week on a suicide watch of sorts and informs the authorities of what he finds. Thinking that this is the only way she will be able to get any help, Sara agrees to go on the hunt for her sister with her two new friends and cannot wait for the morning to arrive.

When meeting Michi, he sees sadness in the woman’s eyes and warns her not to go out on the search, but nothing will keep Sara from trying to find her lost sister. Entering the woods, Sara starts to notice the strange thoughts that come into her mind, but after being told that anything bad she encounters is not real, it is only in her mind, she can take comfort in the fact that the forest cannot hurt her. Finding a fresh body, Sara sees that some of the legends are true about the forest, but the hunt will continue for her sister at any cost. Finding Jess’s tent, Sara and Aiden decide to stay behind to wait for Jess to come back from wherever she is and while Michi warns them of what can happen in the dark, the two are not willing to give up on the missing girl just yet. As the night moves in, Sara and Aiden start to hear strange sounds in the distance, but nothing can prepare Sara for what she is about to find in the forest when she discovers a girl that is wandering around and she has a message for the twin about her sister.

This movie did bring some scares to the screen, but they were not what I expected as they were more of the jump kind, rather than the 'mind screw' kind. Although the story started to dig into the psychological kind as the movie went on and during the finale, and they really should have focused on the psychological stuff throughout, since that is what the Aokigahara Forest is known for. I did like how the story that Sara had been telling all of her life about her parent's death turned out to be a lie and how it came back to haunt her and I also liked how the distrust she developed for Aiden came into play so violently. With a young girl who may or may not have been a Yurei helping Sara in her search, it shows how desperate the woman really was and how her mind was able to be manipulated. Although you get some good news as the movie ends, it is apparent that the forest has the power to claim its victims whenever and however it wants. Stay Scared.

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