Combining arthouse ambition with studio
production value, Cloud Atlas is an existentialist Rubik's
cube with commercial sensibilities; a beguiling tale of reborn souls
meeting over again across time and space, spun into a sprawling
tapestry about what connects us as human beings... or, you know,
something like that.
In 1849 a young aristocrat returns home
from an expedition to the slave colonies in the Pacific rim. In 1936
a young music writer keeps correspondence with his gay lover as he
helps an aging composer put his melodies to sheet. In 1973 an
investigative journalist uncovers a nefarious conspiracy between big
oil and nuclear power. In 2012 a book editor seeks refuge from Irish
thugs only to be committed to a rest home. In 2044 a genetically
engineered servant in the dystopic Neo Seoul becomes the key face of
an underground revolution. In the distant post-apocalyptic future,
warring tribes fight for survival as a more technologically advanced
visitor comes with a mysterious mission.
