The Review:

A moody period piece (1940's-'50's) bracketing WW-II and its impact on a small island fishing (and strawberry-farming) village in NW Washington, this multi-faceted film has a lot of points to make, and does so successfully. It evokes a quieter, slower, but no less polarized time. The central focus is a few years post-war, on events in the village associated with the possibly accidental death of one of the local (Caucasian) fishermen, and the murder trial of the primary suspect, another (Japanese-American) fisherman (Yune). However, perhaps half of the movie is in retrospective -- layers of childhood memories, images of war, reconstructed events surrounding the death/accident, recounting of the history of land ownership, etc. -- making the time lines a little confusing until you figure them out.

Before the war, the village was a stable, multi-racial community with a high proportion of Japanese-Americans. In retrospect, it seems as if it were reasonably well integrated, but, as the trial brings out, strong opinions simmer just underneath the surface. The point of view is that of a young newspaper reporter for the local Island Review (Hawke). His father (Shepard) used to run the paper, and his balanced attention to the Japanese-Americans in the community earned him both respect and denigration in what became a rapidly changing political environment. Most of the childhood memories are Hawke's, and they focus on his developing relationship with the Japanese daughter (Kudoh) of one of the local families. Although an undercurrent has always been there, the dominant polarization is catalyzed by the start of WW-II in the Pacific, and we are confronted with the shame and consequences of the forced relocation of entire Japanese families to the Manzinar camps. The mood of distrust arising from this treatment colors much of the community's interactions in the wake of the war, and the trial.

But "moody" should not be interpreted negatively. The atmosphere, one of tranquil peace occasionally interrupted by outside events, is carefully established. It depends on the gentle snow that continues to fall throughout the trial, and the numerous scenes in which this soft white background factors. It is neither a blizzard nor a tumultuous storm -- simply a persistent snowfall blanketing the ground and the coastal forests. It is one of the more appealing characters in the film.

The community is well-drawn, a sympathetic and open portrayal, if a bit conflicted. The defense attorney (von Sydow) is excellent, and the prosecuting attorney is maddeningly annoying, a character you want to strangle in the courtroom.

Taken from the 1994 best-selling first novel by David Guterson.

Back to the chronological list of reviews