Snow Falling on Cedars (film)

Snow Falling on Cedars is a 1999 film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's novel of the same name. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Plot
Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern Puget Sound region of the Washington state coast in 1950, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kabuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune), a Japanese American accused of killing Carl Heine, a White fisherman. The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke), a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese in the Pacific War. Ishmael struggles with his childhood, and continuing, love for Kabuo's wife, Hatsue (Youki Kudoh), and his conscience, wondering if Kabuo is truly innocent.

Spearheading the prosecution are the town's sheriff, Art Moran (Richard Jenkins), and prosecutor, Alvin Hooks (James Rebhorn). Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson (Max von Sydow). An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice. Several witnesses, including Etta Heine (Celia Weston), Carl's mother, accuse Kabuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons. This stance is not without irony, as Kabuo (a decorated war veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team), experienced prejudice because of his ancestry, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By the same standard, Etta, a German American, could be blamed for Nazi war crimes.

Also involved in the trial is Ole Jurgensen, an elderly man who sold his strawberry field to Carl. The strawberry field is a contested issue during the trial. The land was originally owned by Carl Heine Sr. The Miyamotos lived in a house on the Heines' land and picked strawberries for Carl Sr. Kabuo and Carl Jr. were close friends as children. Kabuo's father, Zenhichi, eventually approached Carl Sr. about purchasing 7 acre of the farm. Though Etta opposed the sale, Carl Sr. agreed. The payments were to be made over a ten-year period. However, before the last payment was made, war erupted between the U.S. and Japan, and all islanders of Japanese ancestry were forced to relocate to internment camps. In 1944, Carl Sr. died and Etta sold the land to Ole. When Kabuo returned after the war, he was extremely bitter toward Etta for reneging on the land sale. When Ole suffered a stroke and decided to sell the farm, he was approached by Carl Jr., hours before Kabuo arrived, to try to buy the land back. During the trial, the land is presented as a family feud and the motivation behind Carl's murder.

Ishmael's search of the maritime records reveals on the night that Carl Heine died a freighter had passed through the channel where Carl had been fishing at 1:42am, five minutes before his watch had stopped. Ishmael realises that Carl was thrown overboard by the force of the freighter's wake. Despite the bitterness he feels at Hatsue's rejection, Ishmael comes forward with the new information. Further evidence is collected in support of the conclusion that Carl had climbed the boat's mast to cut down a lantern, been knocked from the mast by the freighter's wake, hit his head, then fallen into the sea. The charges against Kabuo are dismissed. Hatsue thanks Ishmael by allowing him to hold her "one last time."

Production
Scenes of Maine's Portland Head Light were filmed during the ice storm of 1998.

Cast

 * Ethan Hawke as Ishmael Chambers
 * Reeve Carney as Young Ishmael Chambers
 * James Cromwell as Judge Fielding
 * Richard Jenkins as Sheriff Art Moran
 * James Rebhorn as Alvin Hooks
 * Sam Shepard as Arthur Chambers
 * Max von Sydow as Nels Gudmundsson
 * Youki Kudoh as Hatsue Miyamoto
 * Anne Suzuki as Young Hatsue Imada
 * Rick Yune as Kabuo Miyamoto
 * Seiji Inouye as Young Kazuo Miyamoto
 * Celia Weston as Etta Heine
 * Normand Lavallee as Parade boy #2
 * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Zenhichi Miyamoto

Awards

 * Academy Awards
 * Best Cinematography (nominated)
 * American Society of Cinematographers
 * Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases – Robert Richardson (nominated)
 * Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
 * Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won)
 * Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
 * Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won)
 * Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
 * Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won)
 * Golden Trailer Awards
 * The Dark and Stormy Night (nominated)
 * Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
 * Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won)
 * International Press Academy – Satellite Awards
 * Best Film – Drama (nominated)
 * Best Actress, Drama – Youki Kudoh (nominated)
 * Best Director – Scott Hicks (nominated)
 * Best Cinematography (nominated)
 * Best Original Score (nominated)
 * Young Artist Awards
 * Best Performance in a Feature Film, Supporting Young Actor – Reeve Carney (Won)
 * YoungStar Award
 * Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama – Anne Suzuki (nominated)

Critical reception
Snow Falling on Cedars received mixed reviews, as it holds a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 91 critics.

Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and wrote that "Snow Falling on Cedars is a rich, multilayered film about a high school romance and a murder trial a decade later" and that it "reveals itself with the complexity of a novel, holding its themes up to the light so that first one and then another aspect can be seen."