Following '' Promised Land '' , Van Sant directed a film titled '' Sea of Trees '' , which starred Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe . The film tells the story of a man who travels to the infamous suicide forest in Japan to kill himself , only to encounter another man wishing to kill himself as well , with whom he then embarks on a " spiritual journey " . The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival but was met with harsh critical reception at the Cannes , being booed and laughed at
2015 Cannes Film Festival
2015 Cannes Film Festival
Gus Van Sant