acspowell

Having followed the film career of Destin Daniel Cretton before his hit short film "Short Term 12" at Sundance (now an award-winning feature film), I can say this first feature is an absolute pleasure (from the standpoint that it is really strong, well-written and performed, and evokes a distinct tone and voice). The title is such that it brings about certain expectations before watching the film...these expectations are then totally shattered. While set in the indie music/hipster culture of San Diego, the film does not spend its time finding ways to poke fun at its characters (there are a couple of jokes about cell phone photography and fixie bikes). The title is in this way ill-fitted, but at the same time perfect as it prepares the viewer to be completely surprised by the film's sincere and emotional journey of the protagonist, Brooke, as he tries to be less pessimistic to find some silver linings in his relationships, understand the parameters of artistic expression as a singer/songwriter, and just in general be more of a true- to-yourself individual (that is more genuine than a hipster-yes, the title has relevance!). In short, the film is a great character study on our relationships with others and highlights this with a fantastic original score and songs by Joel P. West (The Tree Ring).

I came into "Cloud Atlas" with a very open mind, trying not to listen to what movie reviewers had been saying about the film. I'm glad I did, because every review I read was way too harsh on this film. As many of you know, "Cloud Atlas" switches between six stories in different times and places. The best way to come into this film is to accept that the filmmakers will cut between the stories quite a bit and will show you on many occasions how they are connected. Once you do this, you can enjoy the transitions and understand WHY they cut between the stories at the different points (there is either a direct object connecting them or two stories are at similar points in their story arches). While I have not read the novel, the film's screenplay (among many other things) should be nominated for an Oscar for how well it weaves together such vastly different stories into the same space. Every story is unique and enthralling in its own right but still maintains similar themes and arches that connect them together so well. This film is not for everybody as it does require you to pay attention closely for a few hours. When you follow along, you'll get it, and be glad you stuck with it. "Cloud Atlas" is satisfying from a visual, performance, and story standpoint.

Captivating and enigmatic, "Sound of My Voice" shows that you can effectively rack an audience's mind with a micro-budget. While many of the strange details and set-ups are left open ended, it's the kind of film that will you have talking with others trying to fill in the blanks long after you've seen it. In some ways, they plant more details than necessary in what seems to be an attempt to confuse the audience and test their attention.Overall, the actors in the film do a great job (especially Marling) and it proves to be a promising directorial debut for Zal Batmanglij. If you want something that also pulls at the mind emotionally, I would recommend "Another Earth".