1950. Kazuo [Yune] is accused of murdering his friend Carl; watching are Kazuo's wife Hatsue [Kudoh] and the man who has always loved her, Ishmael [Hawke], a journalist who holds evidence proving Kazuo is innocent. Fine performances [Von Sydow, Shepard] and haunting cinematography notwithstanding, Snow Falling on Cedars fails to engage.