Movie Recommendation: "Cloud Atlas" - Starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

Cloud Atlas is a nearly three hour epic from the writing and directing team of Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer and Andy Wachowski. To provide a synopsis would take several paragraphs and I am not sure if it would help to sort out the various storylines that time travel across several centuries. Perhaps a second viewing might give me a better handle on how to explain Cloud Atlas. However, I do understand that the overall message of the film is that our actions impact not only our lives, but the lives of many others. We are all interconnected, from the past to the future. That may make better sense to those individuals who believe in reincarnation, which is addressed, at least in part, during the film. For everyone else, it prompts us to think and reflect on our lives and wonder if we do indeed have the power to impact so many other lives. Of course, any film that inspires that kind of thinking is worth seeing.

Cloud Atlas stars Tom Hanks, Halle Barry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess, James D'Arcy and Keith David, among others. The aforementioned actors portray characters in multiple stories that range from the California Gold Rush era to the 22nd century and beyond. The various storylines focus on human rights, from the horrors of slavery to genetically engineered clones who are built to do the bidding of the wealthy and powerful. Other stories tackle the potential dangers of nuclear power, the composition of a proposed musical masterpiece and the exploits of a perfectly healthy elderly man who is placed into a nursing home against his wishes (and without his knowledge). While much of the film is rooted in drama, Jim Broadbent provides many laugh out loud moments as his character, Timothy Cavendish, tries to escape from a nursing home with the help of several other incorrigible residents. While there are many impressive performances, I want to single out Hugh Grant and Jim Broadbent, who are especially good in their various roles. In general, all of the performances are terrific and the outstanding use of make-up serves to mask some of the more famous faces from scene to scene. Thankfully, viewers are clued in to what roles the various actors played throughout the film during the end credits.

From a technical standpoint, Cloud Atlas is a superior film. The editing, cinematography, special effects, art direction and make-up will likely receive Academy Award nominations. The editing is also top notch and provides the cohesion that ties the film together. That does not mean that everything makes sense, but it allows the film to hold your attention from start to finish.

Cloud Atlas is a film that movie lovers must see in theaters and not watch on television or (gasp) a computer screen. The film is a cinematic wonder that is visually stunning and may make viewers laugh and cry, but should also encourage you to think about the various stories and how they all tie together. Is it possible to live one life as a hero and the next as a villain? How can society evolve out of slavery, but then devolve into creating clones that are only used to make a select few more wealthy and powerful? Are we really moving forward, or just simply making the same mistakes over and over again? If so, what can we do to ensure that society is progressing from one generation to another? Those questions are a reflection of the impact that a movie can have on one person. I may not have all the answers to the riddle that is Cloud Atlas, but the numerous questions are well worth contemplating and the film is certainly well worth seeing.