that "Snow Falling on Cedars is a rich, multilayered film about a high school romance and a murder trial a decade later" and that it "reveals itself with the complexity of a novel, holding its themes up to the light so that first one and then another aspect can be seen." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "While there are things to like about this film, the poetic realism of [Robert] Richardson’s cinematography and Jeannine Oppewall’s production design high among them, 'Cedars' has to fight to hold our attention and it doesn’t always succeed. That’s because it’s a film without a hero, at least a hero that can function in an acceptable cinematic manner". Turan did praise the film's "extensive and sensitive treatment of Manzanar exile Hatsue and her family...[where] the film’s poetic realism is a strength". Other criticisms cited the film's two-hour runtime, use of different time frames, and its focus on white characters like Ishmael, Gudmundsson, and Hooks at the expense of the Japanese American character Kabuo. Edward Guthmann of the SF Chronicle wrote, "Cedars''' never brings the viewer inside the Japanese American experience -- even though its primary aim is to strip the facade off anti-Asian bias and make a plea for racial tolerance". Awards Academy Awards Best Cinematography (nominated) American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases – Robert Richardson (nominated) Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won) Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won) Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won) Golden Trailer Awards The Dark and Stormy Night (nominated) Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best Cinematography – Robert Richardson (Won) International Press Academy – Satellite Awards Best Film – Drama (nominated) Best Actress, Drama – Youki Kudoh (nominated) Best Director – Scott Hicks (nominated) Best Cinematography (nominated) Best Original Score (nominated) Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film, Supporting Young Actor – Reeve Carney (Won''') YoungStar Award Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama – Anne Suzuki (nominated) References External links “Official website”. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2003-03-03. 1999 films 1999 drama films American legal drama films Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States American courtroom films 1990s English-language films Films scored by James Newton Howard Films about interracial romance Films about race and ethnicity Films about the internment of