Tom Hanks and Halle Berry play multiple roles in the epic drama Cloud Atlas. The film is based on the 2004 book of the same name. (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

Directors Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer are, in this moment, the gutsiest directors in all of Tinseltown.

The three of them are the team behind Cloud Atlas, an epic adaptation of the 2004 best selling book that spans time, dimensions and the universe as it tells stories of triumph, oppression and hope.

As a source material, Cloud Atlas is perhaps the riskiest choice a filmmaker could go with. The book isn’t shy about it’s non-linear aspects and proudly breaks the shackles of time as jumps between stories of our past, our present and our future.

As a film, Cloud Atlas is a glorious testament to the will of humanity and the natural instinct to be free. While the sourced non-linear storytelling can take time to get used to, at the end of Cloud Atlas’ 172-minute run time, you’ll wish it never ended.

With so many stories to tell, the movie’s cast reads like an invitation list to one of Hollywood’s most exclusive events. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant all play multiple roles in the film. Hanks and Berry are the predominate players.

It’s near impossible to explain the multitude of narratives found in Cloud Atlas. From an ill lawyer voyaging across oceans to return home to a dystopian future called “Neo Seoul,” Cloud Atlas’ separate stories are universally aligned and intrinsically natured.

While the movie’s broad story base may be too difficult and reaching to explain in words, the film’s extraordinary makeup work is certainly something to write home about.

Heike Merker and her impressive team of makeup gurus were able to transform Hanks and company into different, almost unrecognizable, characters throughout the film’s multiple stories.

Hanks and Berry, as of late, have been near inexistent on the silver screen.

Both actors, despite their in-demand status, have managed to avoid starring in major productions like Cloud Atllas – especially Berry.

In fact, during the three year span between 2007 to 2010, Berry had not even the smallest role in either film or television.
Cloud Atlas exposes the large gap that both Hank’s absence and Berry’s absence created. The two are at the top of their industry.

While Berry and Hanks deserve all praise coming their way, the movie’s real saving grace comes from the pair of Wachowski siblings behind the camera.

In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, the two filmmakers admitted to putting their homes on the line to finance the feature.

One can assume that the Wachowski siblings were ready to lose everything for this project.

Consider their sacrifices noticed.

Cloud Atlas opens in theaters Friday.