to everyone raising hell about The Forest and calling it “racist,” “white-washed,” and “disrespectful”
First of all, yes, I realize that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. You’re allowed to dislike this movie, and you have the right to choose not to go see it. But boycotting it because it has a white main character and is set in a real place? C’mon guys.
First of all, the movie is not white-washed. The reason the main character is American is because this movie is primarily targeting American audiences. I watched a great Spanish horror film the other day, and guess what? The main character was Spanish. When I watch K-dramas with my best friend, the main characters are Korean. Japanese films usually have Japanese characters, French films usually have French characters, Indian films usually have Indian characters, and Italian films usually have Italian characters. Starting to see a pattern?
It’s not as if the movie is 100% white people, either. The main character, Sara, is white, and her friends and family in America are white as well, but there are several Japanese actors listed in the cast as well. Don’t believe me? Google the movie, you’ll find names like Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Noriko Sakura, and Yûho Yamashita, all of whom are actually of Japanese descent by the way, so those of you who are claiming racially inaccurate casting need to check your facts.
Now onto the “disrespectful” part of the controversy. What part of this movie and its premise is disrespectful? Yes, it is set in a real place where mysterious and even tragic things have happened, but it’s a work of fiction: it’s not tarnishing any reputations, or using the names of any of the people who have actually died in Aokigahara Forest. I didn’t see y’all getting offended about Chernobyl Diaries, which is also a horror movie set in a real place where many people died. There have even been other movies set in Aokigahara Forest before, but you weren’t all up in arms about them. Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I watched a horror movie that was “based off of a true story,” I’d be able to make my own big budget film; it’s one of the biggest cliches in the genre, a cheap tactic to make the story (and the scares) feel more “real.” Take a look at The Conjuring, The Amityville Horror, or The Possession: They’re all based on real-life events, but no one is calling them disrespectful. Why this movie is targeted when all of those others weren’t is a mystery (although I suspect it has something to do with how half of tumblr seems to believe that white people can’t experience disrespect or discrimination of any kind, and the fact that those other Aokigahara movies didn’t get enough media coverage for people to feel like they were worth bitching about).
I’ve even seen some people claiming that The Forest romanticizes suicide. First of all, how could you possibly know that when the movie hasn’t even been released yet? Second of all, it’s a horror film. Death, murder, and yes, suicide are common themes of the genre, but very rarely do I see them portrayed in a positive or romanticized light. I am very sensitive about the issues of depression and suicide and how they’re portrayed in the media, but I genuinely don’t see anything offensive in the premise of this movie. The main character travels to Japan because she fears for her sister’s safety, and goes into the forest to look for her because she wants her to live. The locals won’t go near the forest because they want to live. What about that is romanticizing death or suicide?
If anything, this movie is bringing more attention to the issue of suicide in Japan. People are seeing the trailer, getting curious, and googling the forest. They’re getting the facts. In fact, most of the people complaining probably didn’t know that Aokigahara Forest existed before they decided to get offended about this movie. Those are the people who are intrigued by the movie and its premise. I guarantee that 90% of the people who see the trailers and ads don’t care at all.
Am I expecting The Forest to be the best movie I’ve ever seen, or to win awards? Of course not. But I think it’s a little ridiculous to get this offended over a movie that hasn’t even come out yet. The movie will succeed or fail on its own merits; whether a handful of people on tumblr decide to boycott it likely will not change anything. But seeing how ridiculous everyone is being about it has only made me that much more determined to see it in theaters. I’m going to give this film what every creative work deserves: a chance.
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