Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)

Screen It! is not attempting to rate the movie as good or bad but to give parents the tools to decide whether it's appropriate for their kids.

This movie has been screened for objectional content in 15 areas. Click for a detailed look.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated drama. Profanity is rated as heavy due to 1 use of the "f" word, while only a handful of other profanities and colorful phrases are present. What's present in greater quantity are bad attitudes in the form of prejudice that's evident in the court case as well as flashbacks related to the treatment of Japanese Americans during and after WWII. Some sensual/sexual material is present in the form of a couple consummating their marriage (with some movement and in the same room, albeit behind hung sheets, as other family members), another couple fooling around in a shower, and teen lovers fooling around (the extent of which is never absolutely clear). Some wartime violence occurs and includes images of dead soldiers in the water, half-buried in tidal sands and in a bunker. A man's amputated and somewhat bloody and gory arm is also seen and those images and more may be unsettling or suspenseful for some viewers (and are accompanied by a heavy amount of related ominous music). Other violence occurs in the form of a mysterious death that serves as the catalyst for a murder trial. Beyond that, some related tense family moments and brief smoking, the rest of the film is relatively void of any other major objectionable content. Nonetheless, should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may wish to more closely examine our detailed content listings.

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: As a 1950 murder trial stirs up memories of Japanese-American internment during WWII, a reporter remembers his former friendship and love for an American born, Japanese woman who's now married to the defendant.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or of the original novel, it's not very likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For disturbing images, sensuality and brief strong language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: ETHAN HAWKE plays a young reporter who's returned from WWII a somewhat bitter, and now one-armed young man who's still drawn to the love of his life, a young Japanese-American woman he previously fooled around with. He must decide what to do with some important evidence he's discovered regarding the court case and briefly uses one instance of strong profanity.
YOUKI KUDOH plays that young woman who's now concerned about the legal fate of her husband and no longer wants anything to do with Ishmael.
RICK YUNE plays the defendant, an American born war veteran who finds himself charged with murder and facing racial injustice.
MAX VON SYDOW plays his old but wise defense attorney.
JAMES REBHORN plays the prosecutor who tries to use the racial card against the defendant in the case.
JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; YOUKI KUDOH plays that young woman who's now concerned about the legal fate of her husband and no longer wants anything to do with Ishmael.
RICK YUNE plays the defendant, an American born war veteran who finds himself charged with murder and facing racial injustice.
MAX VON SYDOW plays his old but wise defense attorney.
JAMES REBHORN plays the prosecutor who tries to use the racial card against the defendant in the case.
JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; RICK YUNE plays the defendant, an American born war veteran who finds himself charged with murder and facing racial injustice.
MAX VON SYDOW plays his old but wise defense attorney.
JAMES REBHORN plays the prosecutor who tries to use the racial card against the defendant in the case.
JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; MAX VON SYDOW plays his old but wise defense attorney.
JAMES REBHORN plays the prosecutor who tries to use the racial card against the defendant in the case.
JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; JAMES REBHORN plays the prosecutor who tries to use the racial card against the defendant in the case.
JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; JAMES CROMWELL plays the judge who tries to play down and eliminate the racial elements of the case.
ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; ERIC THAL plays the somewhat prejudiced man who ends up being the victim.
ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; ARIJA BAREIKIS plays the victim's widow.
CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.; CELIA WESTON plays the victim's mother, a prejudiced woman who has it out for the Japanese-Americans.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: NONE (Return to Summary Chart): None.

BLOOD/GORE: HEAVY (Return to Summary Chart): Although neither bloody nor gory, we see Carl's body as it's partially pulled from the water in a fishing net.
Later, we see Carl's fully clothed body on the autopsy table. As the coroner pushes down on his chest, foamy mucous comes from his nose. Later, the coroner finds a head wound that we briefly see in close up (and looks like brain matter oozed out from a wound).
Some blood runs from a German soldier's nose after being hit in the face with a rifle butt.
We see glimpses of the amputation of Ishmael's arm during the war and then see two views of the amputated limb (with its bloody/gory wound).
We see a slightly bloody cut on Carl's hand (not related to his later death).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: HEAVY (Return to Summary Chart): Several locals refer to the Japanese-Americans as "Japs" and they and others then treat those people badly upon the outbreak of WWII (as well as are demeaning to Kazuo during the trial and try to use the race card to influence the jury).
Hatsue's mother tells her (at a young age) to stay away from "white boys."
We learn that Etta (the victim's mother), sold all of Kazuo's family's land during the time in which they were relocated in internment camps during the war.
Ishmael withholds evidence (and nearly burns it) that could exonerate Kazuo (because he still wants Hatsue for himself).
Arthur Chambers gets threatening messages of suggested violence for the views he takes in his paper.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: MODERATE (Return to Summary Chart): Scenes listed under "Violence" and/or "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.
A scene set aboard Carl's boat at night in the fog and a subsequent one where the Sheriff and another man pull in his fishing net only to reveal Carl dead, may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.
We see several shots of Ishmael (and others) underwater during a battle scene set in WWII. We then see several views of dead soldiers half-buried in tidal sands.
We see glimpses of the amputation of Ishmael's arm during the war and then see two views of the amputated limb (with its bloody/gory wound).
We see Carl's boating accident and see his body sinking in the water.

GUNS/WEAPONS: MODERATE (Return to Summary Chart): Rifles/Machine guns/Hand grenade: Seen in flashbacks to WWII where Kazuo carries a rifle, avoids enemy machine gun fire and throws a grenade into a bunker, killing and/or injuring some Germans.
Dynamite: Discovered by the Feds as they arrest Hatsue's father (he claims it's for clearing tree stumps).
Rifles: Carried by American soldiers.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: MINOR (Return to Summary Chart): Phrases: "F*cking Jap bitch," and "Balls" (testicles).

JUMP SCENES: MINOR (Return to Summary Chart): Kazuo suddenly kicks a gun away from someone (the sudden loud action may startle some viewers).

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): HEAVY (Return to Summary Chart): A heavy amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): NONE (Return to Summary Chart): None.

PROFANITY: HEAVY (Return to Summary Chart): At least 1 "f" word, 4 hells, 1 damn and 2 uses of "Jesus" and 1 of "God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: HEAVY (Return to Summary Chart): In silhouette and as teens, we see Ishmael and Hatsue apparently starting to undress each other. Some passionate kissing and heavy breathing follows, but we don't see anything else.
We see Ishmael and Hatsue making out again (both clothed), with him on top of her and between her legs (but we can't really tell exactly what they're doing).
Through a smoked glass shower door, we see a flashback to Carl and Susan Marie making out and caressing in the shower (but we can't really tell what they're doing due to the less than completely transparent door, although there looks like there could be some movement).
We see Hatsue and Kazuo on their wedding day as they prepare to consummate their marriage in their internment room along with the rest of one of their families. As such, they ask for some music to be played (to give them some aural privacy) and then pull a curtain for the same, although one girl can see their feet as well as Hatsue's dress as it drops to the floor. We then see them in bed with him on top of her and they kiss. He then asks if she's done this before and she replies that she never has, that he's her only one. We then see suggested movement (and hear related sounds) with a view of just their heads and shoulders as they have sex.

SMOKING: MINOR (Return to Summary Chart): A few miscellaneous characters smoke (one a pipe), while Nels has a cigar in one scene.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: MODERATE (Return to Summary Chart): Susan Marie gets the bad news that her husband is dead and reacts accordingly.
Hatsue's family reacts to the Feds taking her father away as an alleged war criminal.
We see a brief flashback to Ishmael's father's funeral (with Ishmael and his mother leaving the cemetery).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: MODERATE (Return to Summary Chart): The Romeo and Juliet style romance of Ishmael and Hatsue (they're secretly lovers, but don't tell anyone else and can't even sit together on the bus).
The internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII.

VIOLENCE: MODERATE (Return to Summary Chart): Although the actual death isn't seen, a man dies from drowning (as well as a blow to the head) that's initially considered to be a murder, but is later identified only as an accident.
In a WWII flashback, Kazuo avoids enemy machine gun fire and then throws a grenade into a bunker, killing and/or injuring some Germans. Once inside, he fires some shots and then kicks a weapon away from an injured soldier and then strikes him in the head with the butt of his rifle when he thinks the German is making potentially hostile movements.
We see some brief war footage, but it's mainly the aftermath showing dead soldiers in the water and/or half buried in tidal sands.; In a WWII flashback, Kazuo avoids enemy machine gun fire and then throws a grenade into a bunker, killing and/or injuring some Germans. Once inside, he fires some shots and then kicks a weapon away from an injured soldier and then strikes him in the head with the butt of his rifle when he thinks the German is making potentially hostile movements.
We see some brief war footage, but it's mainly the aftermath showing dead soldiers in the water and/or half buried in tidal sands.