The Most Enigmatic Film Of 2012: Cloud Atlas

Loved and hated, there's no denying Cloud Atlas to be the most enigmatic and undecided film of the past year.

I had heard of Cloud Atlas firstly as a novel, that is, David Mitchell's third and greatest work. Six conjoined storylines lead us astray in worlds of slavery, murder, mystery and corruption, gangland violence, dystopian madness and post-apocalyptic primitivism. Perhaps what is most surprising about Cloud Atlas as a piece of art - not just as a mere book or film - is how it grapples with our emotions, whether those chemical imbalances are negative or positive.

We witness a kind, loving musician turn into a murderer, a fabricant - clone - morphed into a hero and goddess and on and on the story goes. Each story intertwines with another, forming a bond that is true of life itself, weather systems and quantum systems of our physical universe, how an act of kindness can ripple and turning a certain way at a crossroads can change a person's life. All in all, it's the little things that matter.

The official plot - or synopsis, as the pseudo-intellectuals like to call it - is:

"An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution".

Typically, a review or essay on a film would begin with a brief outline of certain, usually opening, events. Instead, I will leave that to your own doing; you must see the film, read the book, and then you'll really get it! The film darts between stories at a fast pace, something which has been panned by some of our beloved "critics" worldwide. I can only guess - but I'm probably right - that this use of quick editing between scenes is to keep us, intrigued viewers, from forgetting previous sequences of this 170 minute epic.

That's right, I said epic. During sequence X, we are given a few seconds of sequence Y to refresh us and then a dab of Z and a dash of T. I must herein admit to you, casual reader, that when I read the novel, I too presumed it to be unfilmable, as have many, I am sure. Thankfully, I was saved, we, we were saved by Tykwer and the Wachowskis, who have directed one of the greatest movies of the past thirteen years and one of my all-time favourites. Ultimately, I personally interpret this film as many things, primarily a look, an examination on life and its actions, how small actions can change the future of our race. An exercise in free will? A look into what could become, what has been? Who knows, this film really is confusing in its under-message.

The viewer is paramount; he/she must remain interested, making absolutely sure to retain an open-mind. This isn't a film for casual film viewers, this is a work of genius that has raised many questions since its release, questions which will take too long for me to even try to answer. But like any piece of art, all that matters is what the viewer thinks; if he/she thinks it is a free will movie, that is their personal interpretation.

Watch this film. It is released in "Great" Britain in February, and will fall short with the common viewer, but hope is high for we true film-goers. Cloud Atlas is the most ambitious film ever made, and it doesn't disappoint.