Cloud Atlas

Written, produced, and directed by The Wachowskis (of the Matrix franchise and V for Vendetta) and Tom Tywker (of Run Lola Run) with the score written by Twker, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil, Cloud Atlas is the adaptation of the 2004 book of the same name written by David Mitchell. Released in 2012, Cloud Atlas tells six stories exploring how life repeats cyclically and how actions of an individual can transcend time and impact one another. While the film is initially confusing it comes together as the story develops enforcing the theme of interconnection through its storytelling, character archetypes, and relics. The storytelling can be described as if each story is a book nested within the middle another, so before the first story can conclude another begins and is not finished until the very end. It goes back to the beginning at the end of the story as a reflection of life as cyclical. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Strugess, Doona Bae, and Ben Whishaw, the main cast plays different roles but the same archetype in each story. Another device used to connect the stories is objects and stories that make it through one story and affect the next, in fact in one storyline a character composes “The Cloud Atlas Sextet” that is discovered on vinyl in a later storyline. When each story concludes the unique storytelling allows the overall theme of life in repetition to allow those characters to have many different endings. Overall I recommend giving this film a try and as it can be confusing at first maybe use this character graphic. 

I know this movie is a couple years old but I had to write this for an oral report for a class and I thought it would be an interesting post. Hope you check the movie out and if you have seen it maybe watch it again and see if you find something new you didn't notice before.