"It takes a rare thing, a turning point, to free oneself from any obsession. Be it prejudice or hate, or, even love."
Sheriff Art Moran (Richard Jenkins) has a murder on his hands. The body of fisherman Carl Heine (Daniel von Bargen) was brought up tangled in his own nets off of the coast of Washington state. The coroner (Max Wright) is uncertain of the exact cause of death but there is an implication of murder and in the post-WWII anti-Japanese era, Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune) is charged with the murder of Heine and goes to trial.
The backstory, told in flashbacks, reveals that while Miyamoto was serving in the Army in Germany, his family and all the Japanese-American families on the West Coast were sent to detention camps in an effort to safeguard the USA from the Japanese.
Newspaper owner and editor Arthur Chambers (Sam Shepard) opposed the transfer of these people and the assumption of their guilt without knowing that his own son Ishmael Chambers (played as an adult by Ethan Hawke) has loved Hatsue (played as an adult by Youki Kudoh), who later turned out to be the wife of the accused Kazuo.
At the time of Heine's death some years later, Ishmael is an adult and reporter for the town newspaper. He covers the trial but also does a lot of investigation on his own.
What really happened on that fateful night that a fisherman died?
The backstory, told in flashbacks, reveals that while Miyamoto was serving in the Army in Germany, his family and all the Japanese-American families on the West Coast were sent to detention camps in an effort to safeguard the USA from the Japanese.
Newspaper owner and editor Arthur Chambers (Sam Shepard) opposed the transfer of these people and the assumption of their guilt without knowing that his own son Ishmael Chambers (played as an adult by Ethan Hawke) has loved Hatsue (played as an adult by Youki Kudoh), who later turned out to be the wife of the accused Kazuo.
At the time of Heine's death some years later, Ishmael is an adult and reporter for the town newspaper. He covers the trial but also does a lot of investigation on his own.
What really happened on that fateful night that a fisherman died?
Others in the superb cast include Max von Sydow as the defense attorney, James Cromwell as the judge, James Rebhorn as the prosecuting attorney, plus Arija Bareikis and Celia Weston as Heine's family.
Intense and powerful. Haunting music.
Based on a novel by David Guterson. Directed by Scott Hicks.
Run time: 2 hours, 7 minutes
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, sensuality and brief strong language.
My personal rating: B+
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