The Forest
The majority of the story is set in and around the Aokigahara Forest, a forest at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan known as a popular destination for suicide. Sara Price (Natalie Dormer), an American woman, receives a phone call from the Japanese police telling her that they think her troubled twin sister Jess Price (also Dormer) is dead, as she was seen going into Aokigahara forest. Despite the concerns of her fiance, Rob, she journeys to Japan and arrives at the hotel where her sister was staying. At her hotel, Sara meets a reporter named Aiden. They drink together, and she tells him of her parents' death. In reality, her father killed her mother, then committed suicide, but she tells him they were killed by a drunk driver. Her sister saw the bodies, but she didn't look. Aiden invites her to go into the forest with him and a park guide, Michi, so she can look for her sister..
Despite its modest budget of $10.0M, The Forest became a commercial success, earning $37.6M worldwide—a 276% return. The film's bold vision resonated with audiences, showing that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
1 win & 1 nomination
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Forest (2016) reveals deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Jason Zada's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 33 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.5, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Sara Price teaches a class in the U.S., living her normal life as a successful teacher with a stable home and fiancé, while her identical twin Jess lives in Tokyo.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Sara receives a call from the Japanese police that Jess has been seen entering Aokigahara Forest and has not returned. The ordinary world is shattered by the threat to her twin.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Sara makes the active choice to enter Aokigahara Forest with Aiden and Michi, despite warnings. She crosses into the supernatural world where the forest preys on the mind., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False defeat: Sara becomes separated from Michi and increasingly isolated with Aiden. She has visions of a Japanese schoolgirl and realizes the forest is actively trying to deceive her. Stakes raise as her sanity becomes questionable., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All is lost: Sara, fully consumed by the forest's deception, believes Aiden is trying to harm her. In a hallucinatory state, she stabs him fatally. The whiff of death - she has killed an innocent man trying to help her., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Sara realizes the forest has been exploiting her codependent connection to Jess and her unresolved guilt. She understands she must face her own demons rather than save her sister to escape., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Forest's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Forest against these established plot points, we can identify how Jason Zada utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Forest within the horror genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Lake Placid, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Cat's Eye.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Sara Price teaches a class in the U.S., living her normal life as a successful teacher with a stable home and fiancé, while her identical twin Jess lives in Tokyo.
Theme
Sara's fiancé Rob warns her about the danger of going to Japan alone, hinting at the theme: "Sometimes you have to let go" - foreshadowing Sara's need to separate her identity from her twin.
Worldbuilding
Establishes Sara and Jess's twin connection, their troubled childhood after parents' death, Sara's psychic link to Jess, and the mysterious phone call reporting Jess entered Aokigahara Forest (the suicide forest). Sara decides to fly to Japan.
Disruption
Sara receives a call from the Japanese police that Jess has been seen entering Aokigahara Forest and has not returned. The ordinary world is shattered by the threat to her twin.
Resistance
Sara arrives in Japan and learns about the forest's dark reputation from locals who warn her not to go. She meets Aiden, a journalist writing about the forest, who offers to guide her with ranger Michi. Sara debates whether to trust her instincts about Jess being alive.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Sara makes the active choice to enter Aokigahara Forest with Aiden and Michi, despite warnings. She crosses into the supernatural world where the forest preys on the mind.
Mirror World
Sara finds Jess's abandoned tent and belongings, proving her twin entered the forest. Aiden becomes the relationship that will challenge Sara's perceptions - is he helping or manipulating her?
Premise
The promise of the premise: Sara navigates the haunted forest, experiencing supernatural visions and hallucinations. The forest exploits her guilt and trauma about her parents' death. She searches for Jess while the boundary between reality and delusion blurs.
Midpoint
False defeat: Sara becomes separated from Michi and increasingly isolated with Aiden. She has visions of a Japanese schoolgirl and realizes the forest is actively trying to deceive her. Stakes raise as her sanity becomes questionable.
Opposition
The forest's supernatural forces intensify. Sara's visions become more violent and personal, showing her parents' death. She begins to distrust Aiden, suspecting he has ulterior motives. Her grip on reality weakens as the yurei (spirits) close in.
Collapse
All is lost: Sara, fully consumed by the forest's deception, believes Aiden is trying to harm her. In a hallucinatory state, she stabs him fatally. The whiff of death - she has killed an innocent man trying to help her.
Crisis
Sara's dark night: She discovers her terrible mistake as Aiden dies. The forest reveals its full psychological assault, showing her that Jess may have actually escaped days ago. Sara confronts the darkest truth about herself and her trauma.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Sara realizes the forest has been exploiting her codependent connection to Jess and her unresolved guilt. She understands she must face her own demons rather than save her sister to escape.
Synthesis
Sara battles the supernatural manifestations of her trauma and guilt. She confronts visions of her parents and her darker impulses. In the climax, she faces the ultimate choice: give in to the forest or fight to escape.
Transformation
Tragic transformation: Sara is consumed by the forest's darkness, becoming one of its victims. The closing image mirrors the opening but shows defeat - she has become what she feared, unable to separate from her trauma. Jess, alive in the real world, senses her sister's death.