"One of the 50 Coolest Websites...they simply tell it like it is" - TIME
Snow Falling on Cedars | 1999 | PG-13 | - 4.6.5
Based on David Guterson's acclaimed 1994 novel, "Snow Falling on Cedars" follows a small town reporter (Ethan Hawke) as he covers a murder trial, and in the interim learns about war, racism, unrequited love and journalistic integrity. Also with James Cromwell, Richard Jenkins, James Rebhorn, Sam Shepard, Eric Thal, Zeljko Ivanek, Max von Sydow, Youki Kudoh and Rick Yune. [2:06]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A little sexual innuendo and a few scenes in which a boy and girl kiss, sometimes passionately. A man and woman kiss passionately and have intercourse in the shower, and a newlywed couple have intercourse with a little moaning (in both scenes we see only their bare arms and shoulders). A man and woman kiss and it's implied they have intercourse (we don't see any nudity). We see a corpse's bare backside.
advertisement
VIOLENCE/GORE 6 - A man's arm is severed; we see a close-up of the bloody stump as doctors try to reattach the arm. We see a bloody, gashed skull with a little brain matter exposed; a man pokes his finger in the hole and touches the brain. A man hits another in the head with the butt of a gun and kills him. There's killing with guns and grenades in WWII battle scenes. We see foam coming out of a man's mouth and nose and a close-up of a bloody cut on a hand. We see a slightly bloody corpse in the snow, a corpse pulled from the water in a fishing net and a few corpses washed ashore (some are dismembered and we see body parts partially buried in the sand).
LANGUAGE 5 - One F-word, a few anatomical and scatological references, an insult and numerous racial slurs.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - WWII, murder, cultural differences, war camps, refugees, pack-mentality, the legal system, discovering one's sexuality, relationships, honesty, journalism, unrequited love, family.
MESSAGE - Do what you know is right and people will eventually commend you for it.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
Brave the Dark - 3.5.5
Anora - 8.4.10
Flight Risk - 3.5.9
The Room Next Door - 3.3.5
Presence - 4.4.9
how to
support us
PLEASE DONATE
We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
NO MORE ADS!
Become a member of our premium site for just $1/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.
how to
support us
PLEASE DONATE
We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
NO MORE ADS!
Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we will accept compliments too. While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address.