Cloud Atlas (2012)

Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski | 164 minutes | drama, science fiction | Actors: Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Grant, James D’Arcy, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, Jim Broadbent, Xun Zhou, Doona Bae, Zhu Zhu, Götz Otto, David Gyasi, Alistair Petrie, Louis Dempsey, Raevan Lee Hanan, Valerie Lillibeth, Brody Nicholas Lee, Mya-Lecia Naylor

Tom Tykwer likes a challenge. The German director already made a successful adaptation of a novel considered unfilmable in 2006 with ‘Perfume: the Story of a Murderer’. In 2012 he goes a step further. Together with the former Wachowski brothers (‘The Matrix’), he filmed ‘Cloud Atlas’. This book consists of six stories in six different genres, which are also cast in a completely unorthodox form. Just stand there.

The stories in ‘Cloud Atlas’ are constantly shifting in time, with elements from one story returning to another. We start with a historical drama, a story about a slave who climbs aboard a 19th century ship as a stowaway. In the love drama that follows, a young composer gets into trouble because of his homosexual orientation. This is followed by a corporate thriller, set in 1973, in which a journalist investigates a nuclear power plant in an area known for its earthquakes. The fourth story is a contemporary comedy about a publisher who seems to be lucky for the first time in his life, with the release of a mobster’s book. The comedy is followed by a future story, in which a cloned waitress rebels against her fate. In the closing story, a primitive tribe is visited by the last survivors of an ancient civilization. This story is a combination of science fiction and historical drama.

With that last story, the circle is complete, and that fits in perfectly with the common philosophical thread of ‘Cloud Atlas’. The film is a colorful illustration of some basic Eastern insights: everyone is connected to everyone and every act, good or bad, has an impact on the future. Moreover, existence does not move linearly from A to Z, but runs in a circle.

The creators took a huge risk by deviating from the book in one important respect. The book has the symmetry of a harmonica, in which the first five stories are told half way, then the sixth follows in its entirety, after which the remaining five are rounded off in reverse order. The film roughly alternates the six stories per scene, which ensures that a farcical piece follows a thriller scene, after which we continue with the love drama. That those transitions never disturb is more or less a miracle.

Another risk is the cast. The main actors (and what kind of actors) often play five or six roles. That doesn’t hinder either, thanks to the talent of those actors and that of the make-up department. The dazzling decors are no punishment either. We go from futuristic Seoul to old England to 1970s San Francisco and back again. Add to that a few spectacular action scenes, and the party can’t go wrong.

The fact that ‘Cloud Atlas’ is not a masterpiece is mainly due to the somewhat explicit way of telling. The deeper meaning is often thrown in your face with great emphasis. The swelling music and meaningful glances are no longer necessary. Moreover, the many scenes of violence, however tasty, clash with the humanitarian message.

Nevertheless, you should not miss ‘Cloud Atlas’. A fascinating place where Eastern wisdom and Western popular culture meet. Food for movie buffs who like a challenge.