Finding Answers in The Sea of Trees.

So, a couple weeks ago, we watched 13 Reasons Why season 2, which raised all kind of hell with folks, talking about suicide aftermath.  We totally support the show, because it’s a topic that needs to be addressed instead of swept under the rug.

Anyway, my MIL throws out a movie suggestion to us from time to time.  I don’t think she’s missed the mark for us yet.  This time it was the Matthew McConaughey/Naomi Watts vehicle, The Sea of Trees.  I remember seeing the trailers in ’15 when it came out and thought it looked interesting, but never got around to seeing it…until last night on Amazon.

The Sea of Trees is an actual place in Japan.  It’s real name’s the Aokigahara forest, or common known as the Suicide Forest, which Logan Paul infamously made news from.  Reading, apparently, people’ve been offing themselves there since the 19^th century.

In the film, McConaughey’s Arthur Brennan books a one-way ticket to Japan to go to the Suicide Forest to off himself after his wife, who he really DIDN’T know (her favorite color, season), dies.  Then, he meets someone.

Now, every now and then, you hear about someone offing themselves after their significant other dies, but most go on, because the other’d want the widow/widower to go on.  Joey and I’d want that for each other.  Yeah, it’d hurt like hell to lose her, but if I’m going to see her again, I believe, on the right side of the gate, I need to finish my time here.

Also, there’s something fundamentally broken if he doesn’t know things like his wife’s favorite color and season.  These are small talk things you learn while you’re dating.  Joey’s favorite colors are blue and green, her favorite season’s Fall, because she likes the leaves color change, and her favorite holiday’s Christmas, because it’s Jesus’ birthday and she likes giving gifts.

The Sea of Trees is psychology at it’s best, but, more importantly, I think couples should check it out, because it raises questions of what’s REALLY important in a relationship…and, in life at the end of the day.

Be good to each other.

-J-