Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

S McG This is a beautiful, atmospheric film with a complex mystery and romance woven expertly into the first rate cinematography. Easily one of my favourite films. Watch in complete darkness to really appreciate the lighting of the film, especially the candle lit court room scene. You could stop the film at any point in any scene and you would find it perfectly framed. The performances of each actor is superb, never over acted. The film is a quiet, perfect, work of art. I was surprised at it's low rating on IMDb and can only assume those low rating were divvied up by those who were hoping for a bit less of a cerebral masterpiece and more of a simplistic crash-n-bash affaire. If your a relatively clever person who appreciates well crafted film, watch this.

classicsoncall I'm usually in general agreement with IMDb viewers on most films, but with this one I have a major disconnect. The picture has a 6.8 rating as I write this, a far cry from the 10 I would give it for masterful story telling and exceptional cinematography. You just never can tell.I realize that the non-linear format can be a turn off for many viewers, but unlike other movies I've seen utilizing the frequent use of flashbacks, I didn't find the technique to be distracting here. It was fully essential to develop the back story of Ishmael's (Ethan Hawke) unrequited love for Hatsue (Yuki Kudo), and the circumstances leading to the trial of Hatsue's husband for murder. Particularly relevant were the scenes pertinent to the Miyamoto family acquiring the berry farm and how they were basically swindled by Etta Heine (Celia Weston) and the legal system following the death of Mrs. Heine's husband. The roundup of Japanese families and their internment in prison camps following the outbreak of World War II was particularly painful to watch recreated on screen, alluding to an unfortunate era in the history of the country.However the most agonizing theme that pervades the story is Ishmael's inability to come to terms with the loss of Hatsue. It invades every aspect of his thoughts and his very existence. Eventually this personal torment is eclipsed by the necessity to do the right thing for a fellow human being.With a finale reminiscent of the closing scene in "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Miyamoto family stands in unison to proclaim their admiration for Ishmael after he does the right thing by bringing new evidence to the judge presiding over the trial. Just prior to that, Defense Attorney Gudmundsson (Max von Sydow) delivered a stunning summation to jolt Ishmael into recognition of what he must do for the sake of justice and equality. Later, in a quiet moment with Ishmael, the wizened attorney makes a poignant observation that's brilliantly insightful into the human condition - "Accident rules every corner of the universe, except maybe... the chambers of the human heart."

INDIEFILMROCK45 This film is a travesty against it's source material - being one of the finer works of fiction from the 90s - and should be avoided by any and all who have read the novel. The wonderful cinematography aside, the film fails to deliver in nearly every aspect. Wooden acting; a script as stilted and predictable as a Louis L'Amour novel; and a lack of subtlety so apparent, it might as well be a PSA against racism all weigh heavily against this waste of film stock. Furthermore, and in collusion with the above statements, far too many liberties were taken with the novel to fairly call this a translation of the original. It merely preserves the strongest theme of novel - racism - and runs over the rest. Finally, the sex scenes present in the book are washed over so as to satisfy a PG13 rating, but these were absolutely pivotal to the understanding the characters and their motivations.

Ash Lee This movie is so slow that I had time to figure out each and every plot twist. Art does not have to be boring. The director Scott Hicks is trying real hard to be Ingmar Bergman and he fails badly. I believe in watching a film from the beginning to the very end but I really wanted to walk out of this one half way. The scenes are all so slow that you have time to figure them out and jump the the surprise twist before it happens. All the interesting bits are shown in jump cuts and the dull bits are left on the screen until you want to scream. If you want to see an interesting movie with lots of snow go to Fargo. A friend of mine walked out and asked me the next day how it ended. I asked her go guess. And she told me her what she thought the ending was. And she was right! "Bad art is bad for the soul." Oscar Wilde