Snow Falling on Cedars (1994)

A fisherman's death leads to the trial of a Japanese American neighbour on a Washington island. Guterson places the evidence alongside wartime internment, old attachments and resentments that affect how it is heard. This is a patient, atmospheric choice about the difficulty of setting private feeling aside when another person's future depends on it. The historical setting matters to the judgement of witnesses as much as to the scenery.