At times, "Snow Falling on Cedars" borders on greatness. The film is visually stylish and the actors handle their roles well.
The story revolves around a teenage love affair between a caucasian boy and a Japanese-American girl on an island off the coast of Washington state ... and later in their adult lives ... a murder trial in which her Japanese American husband is accused of killing a local fisherman.
Set in the era before, during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film uses this story as a backdrop to expose the injustices that were perpetrated against innocent Japanese Americans living in the U.S. We watch as they are stripped of their homes and belongings, victimized by racial bigotry, separated from their families and herded into federal government Relocation Centers -- an oh-so-polite term for concentration camps.
What a powerful and emotionally charged topic! The opportunities for high drama endless. Right?
Yes, but not here. The extreme overuse of flashback/flash-forward techniques and a poorly organized screenplay combine to make this movie unbelievably difficult to follow. It gradually degrades into a virtual mish-mash where all sense of time, place and drama are lost. A potentially compelling film is, sadly, rendered hopelessly impotent.
Very disappointing ... especially when you consider how great this film could -- and should -- have been.
The story revolves around a teenage love affair between a caucasian boy and a Japanese-American girl on an island off the coast of Washington state ... and later in their adult lives ... a murder trial in which her Japanese American husband is accused of killing a local fisherman.
Set in the era before, during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film uses this story as a backdrop to expose the injustices that were perpetrated against innocent Japanese Americans living in the U.S. We watch as they are stripped of their homes and belongings, victimized by racial bigotry, separated from their families and herded into federal government Relocation Centers -- an oh-so-polite term for concentration camps.
What a powerful and emotionally charged topic! The opportunities for high drama endless. Right?
Yes, but not here. The extreme overuse of flashback/flash-forward techniques and a poorly organized screenplay combine to make this movie unbelievably difficult to follow. It gradually degrades into a virtual mish-mash where all sense of time, place and drama are lost. A potentially compelling film is, sadly, rendered hopelessly impotent.
Very disappointing ... especially when you consider how great this film could -- and should -- have been.