Cloud Atlas | Review
A character in ‘Cloud Atlas’ tells his counterpart “There’s a natural order to this world. No matter what you do, it will never amount to anything more than a single drop in a limitless ocean.” The other responds “Yet what is an ocean but a multitude of drops?” This is a film that dwells on the importance of human lives, our actions and reactions, our past, present, and future. It’s a narrative composed of six different interlocking stories with the same actors playing all sorts of characters in each. It’s a film that transcends the boundaries of a single genre, and disproves the notion that a character’s race can limit the actor portraying him or her. Based on the “unfilmable” novel of the same name, avante-garde directors Tom Tykwer (‘Run Lola Run’) and Lana and Andy Wachowski (‘The Matrix’ trilogy & ‘Speed Racer’) were able to do the impossible, resulting in an amazing cinematic experience rarely matched by any other.
The six stories in ‘Cloud Atlas’ spans across several centuries, with each somehow connected to the next story, whether the previous story is being read in a journal in the next, or a character views a video from the previous story. In chronological order the six stories are: The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, about a lawyer (Jim Sturgess) who mysteriously falls ill on board his ship in 1849; Letters from Zedelghem, set in 1936 about a poor musician, Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw), who becomes an amanuensis for a famous composer while at the same time composes his own masterpiece called “The Cloud Atlas Sextet;” Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery, an old-school mystery thriller set in 1973 revolving around journalist Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) in her attempts at exposing the dangers of a nuclear power plant; The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, a present-day comedy about an elderly publisher (Jim Broadbent) who is tricked into a retirement home and follows his quest to escape; An Orison of Somni~451, set in Neo-Seoul in 2144 and about a fabricant (Bae Doona), or clone, who rebels against her totalitarian government; and Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After, set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where humankind has reverted back to primitive societies and follows Zachry’s (Tom Hanks) journey with an extra-terrestrial of sorts named Meronym (Halle Berry).
It’ll be tiresome and worthless to describe and critique in full detail the events of each story, and it wouldn’t be helpful either. It’s not necessarily important how well each story connects to the others, or how well they’re individually told. ‘Cloud Atlas’ shines in the moment, the present. Unlike the novel, the film switches between the six stories interchangeably and in no particular order. The transition between stories are usually done through visual symmetry or through an actor’s appearance in one story and his role in another.
This shift between stories is essential to the success of ‘Cloud Atlas’ as it keeps each narrative fresh and consistently interesting. Though none of the stories are ever boring, cutting off from one story every now and then and leading into another prevents your attention from ever forgetting about the other stories. And the cuts are often during points of peak interest, which leaves a cliffhanger effect every time.
‘Cloud Atlas’ has been heavily marketed as a film that demonstrates how we’re all connected. This may have been a gimmick to get more people to see it because the “connection” between past, present, and future lives depicted in the film is never exactly clear. There is a theme of reincarnation as the same shooting star birthmark appears throughout the stories, but the theme of how one life affects another in another time is never apparent. Each individual story is merely read, watched, or described in the next, but the actions and results from each story doesn’t seem to have an effect on the next. Yet the film still enthralls. Maybe because we do see some kind of growth in spirit or life; Tom Hanks plays a dastardly man in the first story but by the last he’s a hero. Then again Hugo Weaving portrays a ruthless villain in literally every story. Maybe there is no real explanation and this is just an over-evaluation of the many themes of the film. Like I said before, the film thrives in the moment. There is one important theme that’s definitely evident in the film, though, and that’s the theme of freedom. No matter the time period, no matter the story, there is an overall theme of freedom in ‘Cloud Atlas’ that contributes to the cohesiveness of the film.
Rounding out this talented cast are Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Keith David, David Gyashi, and Zhou Xun, who also all portray several characters throughout the different time periods. ‘Cloud Atlas’ should have the Oscar for Best Make-Up in the bag due to the extensive work used to make each actor in this film look so drastically different in each story. The actors not only change their hairstyle and accents in each story, but sometimes they even change their gender or race! It’s surprising to realize it’s Halle Berry or Bae Doona as those white characters, Hugo Weaving as that woman, Halle Berry as that man, etc. This film showcases a crucial point that race shouldn’t have to play a part in casting. It’s all about the performance and how good an actor can really act.
Love it or hate it, ‘Cloud Atlas’ is one of the most important films of the year and it’s a must-see. It’s definitely a polarizing film not unlike last year’s ‘The Tree of Life‘. Both are ambitious and rewarding films that are not merely seen but experienced. This is an epic and beautiful film that is not defined by a single time period or genre and filled with breathtaking visuals and imagination. It encompasses everything we love about the creativity of filmmaking.
Four out of four Kent's.
Extra Notes:
Directors Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski have tried for years to get this film made. It was too ambitious of a film for major studios to back it, thus they had to independently finance it. With a budget of over $100 million it’s the most expensive independent film ever produced. If this film is successful, it could inspire Hollywood to produce more risky and ambitious projects.
Natalie Portman introduced the novel to the Wachowskis during production of ‘V for Vendetta’.
The ‘Cloud Atlas’ theme music is probably the most beautiful melody I’ve heard all year. The soundtrack is just as beautiful, composed by Reinhold Heil, Johnny Kilmek, and director Tom Tykwer.
The Wachowskis directed the first story and the final two. Tom Tykwer directed the three middle stories.
Due to the “hard-sell” nature of the film, the directors made a six-minute long trailer to better market the film. It’s a pretty damn awesome trailer too.
