The Wachowskis Weave an Intricate Tapestry With Cloud Atlas

This time last year, there was only one movie that was on my absolute must-see list for the 2012 Christmas season. I’ve been waiting for The Hobbit, Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the first novel that captured my imagination, for nearly a decade, so naturally that was my top priority, and it still is. But more recently, other movies arriving in the theater have piqued my interest. One of those was Cloud Atlas, a lavish tapestry of storylines set in six different times with the same actors portraying multiple characters.

Tom Hanks fan that I am, he was the actor whose presence in the movie most drew my interest, especially after his slip of the tongue when he got a little too into character for a PG-rated morning show. He is one of only five actors to portray a character in all six timelines, and I was amused to discover that the character that got him into trouble only appears in the movie for a few minutes and is the only one of his characters with an R-rated mouth. Generally speaking, foul language is not prevalent. However, violence is, and I found myself averting my eyes on several occasions – and wishing I had on several others. Nonetheless, I considered it a thoroughly worthwhile cinematic experience.

The Wachowskis adapted and directed this very expensive indie based on David Mitchell’s novel, which I have not read, but in reading about it, I am intrigued by the difference in format between the two and how that affects the stories they tell. In the novel, Mitchell starts with the earliest story and stops midway through each until he reaches the story set furthest in the future, which he tells in its entirety before doubling back and ending the others, concluding at the beginning. By contrast, the film begins and ends in the future, and the structure is far more complex as the threads of each tale interweave. In the beginning, it’s very confusing, but then things slow down enough for us to get to know the characters in each setting a little before we depart, and then the whole movie becomes like a Magic Eye painting as you sit back and try to see the grand picture amongst all those short scenes.

I am a person who deeply loves finding connections between seemingly unrelated things, so this movie was an absolute treat for me. It’s a joy to try to predict what is going to happen in one timeline based on what is happening in another and to speculate on why certain scenes were arranged the way they were. This is a story about stories, about how our stories affect each other and those who are born long after us. It’s a movie that shows just how profoundly interconnected we all are, despite systems that attempt to separate us. Cloud Atlas encourages viewers to see beyond such cultural and societal divisions to the fundamental beauty and dignity of each person. Despite moments of horrific violence in each timeline, not to mention environmental devastation in the future stories, the overall tone is optimistic. Good may have to sacrifice a great deal, but it remains triumphant.

Another fascinating aspect in the movie is the game of trying to identify a particular actor in each story. Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant and Hugo Weaving all appear in every timeline, albeit sometimes only very briefly. Jim Broadbent and Ben Whishaw appear in five each, James D’Arcy, Keith David and Susan Sarandon in four, and Doona Bae, Zhou Xun and David Gyasi in three. It’s interesting to ponder how these actors were selected for these particular roles. Given the fact that the film seems to espouse the idea of reincarnation, are we to believe that each character played by a particular actor is the same soul in a different time? Are they just similar types? Is it totally arbitrary? I can’t quite decide myself.

Weaving, for instance, plays a vile, oppressive character in every timeline, so it’s easy to imagine that he really is the same person in different times. Hanks, on the other hand, is repulsive in the 1800s but heroic in later timelines, though this could still apply, as it would show that he is progressing. However, his 2012 incarnation as a vengeful author seems like a major step in the wrong direction, unless it’s just the Wachowski’s sly way of stickin’ it to critics who have panned their movies. In any case, it makes for interesting conversation and ensures that this is the sort of movie that you could watch multiple times and always find something new.

Each story has to do with a character battling some type of oppression. In the 1800s, well-to-do Adam Ewing’s world is turned upside-down when he recognizes the humanity in a slave named Autua. In the early 1900s, brilliant composer Robert Frobisher apprentices himself to an arrogant musical genius who demands he relinquish ownership of his work. In the 1970s, plucky journalist Luisa Rey fights for her life while attempting to uncover deadly information that a corporation wants kept quiet.

In 2012, down-on-his-luck publisher Timothy Cavendish is tricked into taking up residence in a horrific nursing home and recruits several conspirators to help him stage a break-out. In the 2100s, a clone named Somni-451 learns that the world is far more beautiful and terrible than she has perceived in her existence under a totalitarian regime, and she attempts to enlighten others. Finally, the 2300s bring us to primitive villager Zachry, who must overcome his prejudices and guilt in order to help a technologically advanced visitor.

Hanks plays the grizzled Zachry, who may be my favorite character in the movie, though there are many wonderful ones. His peculiar speech pattern and the rugged landscape he must traverse makes this a role I suspect would be almost as demanding as his role in Cast Away. There’s a certain appealing purity about this story, and I love its adventurous scope. I also love the more light-hearted present-day story, which is far and away the funniest of the tales, filled as it is with over-the-top, wacky British humor. At the same time, the triumph Timothy and his fellow “inmates” pursue feels very real. The only storyline I’m not especially fond of is the one involving the clones. Both very creepy and extremely violent, it makes me shudder to think what could become of the world if technology continues to advance so quickly. However, there’s no doubt it is a compelling cautionary tale.

Cloud Atlas is a most impressive movie, and I’m sure it will receive plenty of recognition when the time for Oscars comes around. Its richly layered stories and expertly acted characters emphasize the beauty and terror of the world and the rich composition that can result from intertwined lives.