A Floresta

Talvez até o próprio argumentista não soubesse o que eram apenas as imagens da mente da heroína e o que era a realidade. Ou pelo menos qual das imagens da mente tem influência na realidade e que tipo de influência. Tal como provavelmente não sabia exatamente o que aconteceu no final. O filme quer assombrar com interlúdios de fantasmas, seguindo as linhas da versão americana de The Grudge: Maldição, mesmo o tema de fantasmas furiosos de pessoas que se mataram na floresta é emprestado do original japonês Ju-on: The Grudge. Mas falta-lhe a clareza e o equilíbrio entre a realidade, demónios de infância e ilusões assustadoras na floresta, e surpreendentemente, a sofisticação visual da câmara e da edição a que estamos habituados dos filmes de terror de qualidade. Uma sobremesa abaixo da média desperdiça o elevado potencial do tema (a floresta de suicídios realmente existe no Japão). (14/04/2020)

The Aokigahara Forest caused visions not only to the main character of this film, but also to me, the viewer. While the screen was showing an average, unambitious American horror film, what I saw was mainly the squandered potential and the fog-shrouded, excellent film that could be made on the basis of that place. But for that, Jason Zada would’ve had to try a little harder and build things on something more than several, and to a great extent cheap jump scares; to play with heavy paranoia, anxiety and insecurity. Or to al least find a somewhat scarier place, because the pine forest they’ve used is actually antiscary. Even that would be enough, see for example the recent The Hallow or The Witch. But, even though I’m rather critical, the horror year of 2016 could have begun a lot worse. This is just about nothing. Watched, standard, carry on. (07/01/2016)

The Forest hooks you at first glance with its intriguing theme, which is particularly original thanks to the setting of the story in the cursed Aokigahara forest. The film features other horror elements we have seen before (sisters, ghosts, suicide, paranoia, etc.) and therefore leaves an average impression, although the ending was unpredictable (at least for me) – I have to admit that. In short, a film that will probably get lost in the crowd within its genre, but it's still worth watching and let yourself get a little scared. (23/01/2016)

The only mystery about this film is why it’s supposed to be a horror movie or a thriller. For me, the beginning was a boring and protracted preparation of a future victim for what might happen to them while running around the woods, followed by some similarly tedious running around the aforementioned woods, complete with predictable jump scares and an even more predictable ending. Now that I know what the Japanese wells and forests can hide, I can’t wait to see what’s next to come. Some sort of a mysterious cave or stream perhaps? (13/04/2017)

The Forest is a film with great potential, a film that could create a place for legends, not only in real life but in the film world as well. And although the filmmakers tried very hard to make it have the right WTF effect at the end, unfortunately, the excitement doesn't really come, and it's pretty gross in places. There is not a single character - except perhaps the Japanese ones - that I like in any way. Very much a missed opportunity. (19/08/2017)