Cloud Atlas (2012)

I'd much rather see an ambitious film than a safe one. If it doesn't all work, Cloud Atlas takes so many risks you have to admire it.

The film is divided into many storylines with key actors playing multiple roles. In one story, Tom Hanks might be a kind reporter, in another a sleazy, money-grubbing apothecary. Hugo Weaving plays a woman overseeing a nursing home and later, a demonic force in a post-apocalyptic future. Halle Berry is seen as a journalist in 1973, an Asian scientist, and an Indian party guest. Everyone plays different genders, ages, and ethnicities in a tale that explores how people’s actions in the past affect those of the future.

Directors Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Lilly Wachowski have made a lot of bold moves with this picture. First, it follows dozens of characters and storylines that aren't connected in obvious ways. A book or movie mentioned in one story might be referenced as inspiration for the actions of another character. Blink and often, you’ll miss it. Next, the idea of reincarnation (a complex one) is made visual by having actors and actresses play multiple roles. Often it’s very convincing thanks to extensive makeup. You won't even realize this person played that certain background role until you read the end credits. There are also times when it isn’t quite seamless (It appears to be much easier to make a white person look like they’re from Seoul than a black woman appear white) but I applaud the effort. One of the best stories is set in a post-disaster, post-apocalyptic world. It's clear the language they speak evolved from English so you can catch bits and pieces of what they’re saying and get a sense of what’s going on, but there are no subtitles and no one "translates" for you.

Cloud Atlas is more than a technical curiosity or an experiment. It's a series of compelling stories. Each could’ve been its own movie. Put together like this, they make a symphony that's a joy to make sense of. This is a thinking person’s movie. The way these stories are connected is not obvious. The way they’ll conclude is not predictable and, in some cases do not end happily ever after. It’s long, but that running time allows you to immerse yourself in the story. By the time you get to the end, you’ve forgotten what was at the very beginning, making it feel like a circle of birth and rebirth that needs to be seen multiple times to be truly understood.

I can’t wait to see what filmmakers and storytellers Cloud Atlas will inspire in 15 or 20 years. Who will be inspired by the brave choices in Cloud Atlas, what ideas and techniques will they make their own? It’s a bit uneven. The tone between the retirement home story varies so much from the horrors of future Seoul that you'll suffer from whiplash. If you’re a fan of cinema or just want to see something different, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Even if it ultimately isn’t the type of film you fall in love with, you’ll hold Cloud Atlas close to your heart for the way it goes all-out. (Theatrical version on DVD, February 3, 2017)