Valkyre's Weblog

Snow Falling On Cedars

I just watched this one tonight. I really, really liked it. It's part love story, part courtroom drama. Ethan Hawke plays a character name Ishmael Chambers who, as a young boy fell in love with a young Japanese girl named Hatsue Miyamoto (Youki Kudoh). The setting is in Washington state. They have to keep their relationship a secret though. Hatsue's mother only wants her to date Japanese boys. Then, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and everything changes. Hatsue, and her family, along with all the other Japanese who live in the town are rounded up and taken to the Manzanar concentration camp. While there, Hatsue writes Ishmael a "Dear John" letter and marries Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune), another internee, who was also from the same town she was. He eventually enlists in the military and comes home highly decorated. After they are released, they return to their hometown and start a family. The story really revolves around an incident that happens in the 1950's. Distrust and prejudice against people of Japanese decent is still strong in this town.

A fisherman turns up dead, tangles in his fishing net underwater. A tragic accident, right? Nope..... Not if the last person to have seen him is Kazuo Miyamoto. So, he is rounded up and brought to trial for murder. Ishmael still has strong feelings for Hatsue, but she really doesn't want anything to do with him. By this time, she has had two children with Kazuo. I really don't want to give too much away, just in case anyone wants to watch it, but it is a really good movie.