Japanese Forest, Japanese Spirits... and a White Girl?

I understand that the movie is being disrespectful to the actual suicide victims, but you have a problem with a white person being in the lead? What, white people can't travel anywhere? Is Japan supposed to be a country that doesn't accept foreigners? It's like saying that only Native Americans can play in movies that take place in the USA. -_-

I love horror films so I was interested in The Forest because it looked like a supernatural horror flick. Now, that I have read the posts on different threads on whitewashing...I think I will watch a documentary on Aokigahara before seeing the movie. I agree that the movie could've gone to a higher level if the main actress were asian (even though I like Natalie Dormer) and touched on the actual issue of high suicide rates in Japan. Check out this video on the real forest of Aokigahara in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FDSdg09df8

Now, other people have also made valid points. Some people are saying that it's irrelevant because it's based on the supernatural perspective of two outsiders-- one Euro-American living in Japan and another Euro-American traveling to Japan in search of her sister. The movie is not based on a local perspective and the reality of the forest which is a current spot for suicides (like Niagara Falls or the Golden Gate Bridge in North America).

Again, we go back to the original point of whitewashing. Why was the movie based on a supernatural, foreign, Euro-American perspective? So, I do see the whitewashing. The movie didn't have to be a documentary but it could've stayed a little more true to reality. The movie could've been a psychological horror, psychological thriller, horror drama, crime thriller, or horror thriller film (Nightcrawler, Silence of the Lambs, Orphan).

Plenty of foreign people live and work in Japan and I'm sure that white people are raised there too. So...it is a possibility that a white person of European descent would understand the forest and Japan's high suicide rates. Personally, I think the film could've been enhanced if the actress were Asian AND if the genre weren't supernatural. Even if the actress were Asian, it wouldn't touch the very real issue of high suicide rates in Japan because it's a supernatural horror flick. The genre itself evades the current reality of the forest and what it represents. I guess supernatural elements could remain in the movie if they were tied to a psychological thriller making it unclear if it's hallucinations or real supernatural events (The Shining, Butterfly Effect, They).

I can't really provide a thorough critique yet because I haven't seen the movie. I will see if my perspective changes after I watch the movie.

They cast a white girl because it's a movie about the unknown, about her not knowing what the forest is about, along with the folklore associated with it.

Racist.

It had a mediocre opening in the U.S. so I assume many people agree with you. I assume that there are haunted forests in Europe which could have been the setting for this film instead of Japan.

actors act the part, but are not THE part. do you understand the concept of acting?

Because a Japanese girl would've been respectful of the history/folk lore surrounding the forest.


An American Girl who was ignorant of the local area would not be hesitant to dismiss warnings and go into the forest in search of her sister.


Natalie Dormer isn't American nor is she a twin... are you going to pick on her for that too?

It's obvious that the majority of people who have commented about this have not seen the movie.

Yes. The movie was in Japan. Why was the main character a white person? BECAUSE HER SISTER WAS AN AMERICAN, WHITE, and FEMALE who traveled to Japan to teach English to Japanese kids! OHBOY! WHITEWASHING!

I guess you missed the part where the guide was Japanese, the hotel owner was Japanese, the bartender was Japanese, the ghosts were Japanese.

A lot of you need to sit down and relax. Stop looking for issues where there are none.