If I had a religion, it would be Cloud Atlas.
"Cloud Atlas" is a movie that attempts to reach further than most movies have any right to. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the film weaves together six narratives that span the course of thousands of years, from a 19th century ship upon the Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future. I will not bother to attempt to explain the plot, because each time period has its own story line and unique characters that would take an entire novel to explain-go figure.
However, the stories manage to fit into the medium of a movie nonetheless-albeit a movie almost three hours in length. The movie features the acting of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugo Weaving, among others. Each actor plays several characters, which perfectly fits into the film because each actor is representative of the reincarnated soul of the characters, so we are able to see how the soul progresses throughout the ages. This is the true magic of this movie, as the characters are so well fleshed out that each could be described as 3-dimensional, but should instead be described as 4-dimensional, because the souls are the true characters that bend and weave through time as many different characters.
The main theme of the movie is the distinction between "Us and Them." "Cloud Atlas" shows that this distinction is a complete falsehood, as in another life, you could be one of "Them" and they could be "Us." All barriers are an illusion, and in the grand scheme of the history of the world, race and gender are just characteristics that can easily be changed in the next lifetime. The movie shows slavery, homophobia, discrimination against women, discrimination against the elderly, fabricants forced into a new form of slavery, and the distinction between Islanders on Hawaii and the race of futuristic beings that live above them. All of these differences are meaningless, because in the end, all souls are equally valuable and bodies are just vessels for the "stuff" that is human life.
The first forty-five minutes of this movie are incredibly confusing, as the film quickly jumps through all six narratives without much explanation. The six stories describe Adam Ewing on a sailing ship to San Fransisco, a young bisexual composer in Europe, a female reporter working in California, an elderly British man, a cloned Korean woman in Neo Seoul, and a tribal goat-herder living in a demolished Hawaii. The stories span the centuries but are united through the incredible use of themes that fill in gaps in the narratives by showing how the characteristics of these people are reverberated throughout time.
Tom Hanks easily gives the best performances of the movie, and each of his characters shows the true scope of his acting abilities. For example, Hanks starts out as a slimy, racist doctor who befriends Ewing during their voyage. He later appears as a reserved scientist who quickly falls in love with reporter Luisa Rey, played by Halle Berry. His next role is a spurned, vulgar British novelist who casually murders a critic who gave his book a bad review. Hanks' final role in the movie shows him as a goat-herder in post-apocalyptic Hawaii who once again meets Halle Berry in the form of Meronym, a woman from a race of people with superior technology who are separated from the island dwellers.
Tom Hanks' roles are so incredible in this film because his character arc does not confine itself to one lifetime, but rather all the lifetimes that we view throughout the movie. Hanks plays some truly despicable characters, but he is later shown as a good man plagued by guilt and fear. The character arc shows how an evil man can seek redemption, even if it takes thousands of years.
The most visually gripping story by far is the tale of Sonmi-451, played by Doona Bae-a fantastic South Korean actress-a "fabricant," or clone, living in a futuristic version of Seoul, South Korea. This part of the movie is directed by the Wachowskis, and they show they still have the ability to create a fantastic setting for the story. Neo Seoul feels like a massive, living city with transparent highways and high speed vehicles in a truly epic police chase as Sonmi is freed from her slavery as a fabricant and pursued by authorities. Hae-Joo frees Sonmi from her captivity and shows her the real world while falling in love with her. Sonmi is eventually able to release her Orison to the world, a proclamation that details her understanding of life and the world. "Our bodies are not our own," she states. Every sin and every kindness affects all the people around us, and those actions reverberate throughout all of time.
Sonmi's story is truly moving because it once again shows the power of this movie. We see Sonmi executed for her crimes against the established order of the world, and we see Hae-Joo brutally murdered in battle. Sonmi states that she still loves Hae-Joo and, in fact, she will always love him. As we see both these lovers die, we see their souls, thousands of years earlier, reunited in San Francisco. Adam Ewing and his wife meet once again and it seems that the dead are resurrected decades before they were even born.
"Cloud Atlas" is an incredible story, and I could honestly write about it for hours, especially if there is any aspect of the story that you would like to discuss in the comments. This movie earns a Watch It Twice and then some, and is probably my top movie of 2012.
Until next time, give me your thoughts on the film. I love to hear your opinions!
-kmaker
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