Nine years after Pearl Harbor, a Caucasian reporter (Ethan Hawke) covers the murder trail of the husband of his Japanese-American childhood sweetheart (Youki Kudoh) as he struggles to follow in his dead father's footsteps. In this small farming and fishing community, the tension between the races existed long before the war and is still felt deeply. It permeates every aspect of the film, as does the depth of emotion and history between these two lovers. However, ultimately this not a movie about a romance or about a murder investigation. It is a commentary on prejudice, true love and the integrity of the human heart.
This movie was made not by the actors, but the great artistry of the technical crew - from the cinematography to the editing. This is an utterly beautiful and poignant movie with very little dialogue and long montages of present and past, presented layer on layer - shape upon form, as they cross and unite time and place. The story unfolds bit by bit before our eyes, as the events of many decades blend and shift. Images abound and haunt the viewer: bodies making love through frosted glass, Japanese-Americans being shipped off to concentration camps tagged like cargo, forms floating in the water, and families bowing in honor. The entire film was perfect as a painting by your favorite master. I was told by other moviegoers at the sneak preview that the film was unusually true to the award-winning book and carries the same depth of sensual experience. I can only image from that how beautifully descriptive the book must be and am considering buying it as well.
If you are looking for car chases and fast action, you may well be incredibly bored. But if you are willing to open to this movie, it will capture you and easily carry you through until long after you have left the theatre.
It is best enjoyed on the big screen against the darkness of a theatre -- don't wait for video.
This movie was made not by the actors, but the great artistry of the technical crew - from the cinematography to the editing. This is an utterly beautiful and poignant movie with very little dialogue and long montages of present and past, presented layer on layer - shape upon form, as they cross and unite time and place. The story unfolds bit by bit before our eyes, as the events of many decades blend and shift. Images abound and haunt the viewer: bodies making love through frosted glass, Japanese-Americans being shipped off to concentration camps tagged like cargo, forms floating in the water, and families bowing in honor. The entire film was perfect as a painting by your favorite master. I was told by other moviegoers at the sneak preview that the film was unusually true to the award-winning book and carries the same depth of sensual experience. I can only image from that how beautifully descriptive the book must be and am considering buying it as well.
If you are looking for car chases and fast action, you may well be incredibly bored. But if you are willing to open to this movie, it will capture you and easily carry you through until long after you have left the theatre.
It is best enjoyed on the big screen against the darkness of a theatre -- don't wait for video.