Product: Snow Falling on Cedars (2000)
Rating: 5.0
Filmmaking at its Indisputable Finest
Summing up this movie in a review is, to me, an exercise in futility. Its brilliance can only be appreciated if you take the time to immerse yourself in the film & peel away the layers of this onion yourself.It'll help if you know, going into this movie, that the story doesn't form a linear timeline. Rather, it intersperses montages of shots from events of the characters' lives spanning many years. It's up to you to build the narrative.The muted colors, the brilliant yet chilling soundtrack, the snow, the mist... reflect the muted emotions displayed by the characters. The cinematography & the 'floating' feel to most of the shots are so beautiful in & of themselves that you may find yourself easily lost in these brilliant textures. The montages, though argued by some to detract from the continuity of the movie, help draw you into narrative as you interpret each shot & its meaning in the context of the story & of the particular protagonist in the shot. In fact, each shot is so well calculated that upon multiple viewings, you uncover the significance of shots that may have slipped by unnoticed on the first viewing. Some of the brilliance of these montages lie in the way events are juxtaposed; for example, ponder the significance of the shot of Ishmael holding & supporting Hatsue with both of his hands as they walk on logs interspersed on the beach, immediately followed by a shot taken decades later where, in the same setting, Ishmael reaches out with but one hand, ultimately unable to even grasp the now married Hatsue. Heart-wrenching. Or the interspersion of Hatsue's words, in her 'final letter' to Ishmael, ringing in Ishmael's ears as he inevitably (or did he choose to?) becomes a part of war events that leave him wounded... ultimately leaving him with a permanent indelible scar that he can only associate, for the rest of his life, to the loss of his love.While the story itself has many elements, including those of racism (& one of America's darkest most shameful moments in history: the rounding up & internment of Japanese during World War II), greed, the fragility of friendships, acceptance, etc., the heart of the story revolves around the tragedy of unrequited love, and the turning point often necessary for each & every one of us to overcome some obstacle or obsession in our lives. In that sense, the movie itself is a brilliant character study; however, know that while the story really only has one main protagonist (Ishmael), you are really able to understand & feel the emotions of almost every character in this movie (each actor/actress exudes that much brilliance).Suffice it to say: one could enjoy this movie for years & years to come. I myself have found that watching it again every now and then allows me to interpret the actions & thoughts of the characters somewhat differently almost every time, based largely upon my own personal growth from past events and/or events in my life that have transpired since my last viewing. It's as much a story of personal growth & acceptance as it is a story of letting go. Almost anyone will be able to empathize with, if not even personally identify with on some level, the protagonists of this film. And a movie/story that can engage & touch you the way this movie does is nothing short of incredible.On a very related side note: I find it an absolute travesty that this movie has not been released on Blu-Ray. Not only that, but now the DVD has also been discontinued? It's a crime to let a work of art of this magnitude slip into the shadows. Is there any way we can vote for this to be released on Blu-Ray?