Travis Simpkins: Cloud Atlas (2012): Connections of History and Future. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

Directed by the Wachowkis and Tom Tykwer, based on the novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas (2012) is a time spanning epic. The film has multiple plots set in six different eras, ranging from ancient primitive tribes to the present and future civilizations. In between are 19th and early 20th Century stories, all of which tie together through human connections and themes. Many actors play several parts and the makeup team did a great job in altering their appearances from one story to the next. The ensemble cast does a wonderful job, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Bae Doo-na, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant.