'Cloud Atlas' Debuts Another Stunning, Confounding Trailer

Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer's ambitious "Cloud Atlas" debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night to a full gamut of reactions (over at Film School Rejects, Christopher Campbell does a stellar job of rounding up most of the reviews and reactions from criticism's heavy hitters), though our own James Rocchi called it "uneven, unprecedented and ultimately moving" in his review. Of course, the film seemed poised for critical division from the start.

Bing: 'Cloud Atlas' | The Wachowskis

The massively ambitious take on David Mitchell's novel of the same name (once considered unfilmable) features a major cast that includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant. And, while casting decisions are surely always key to productions, in "Cloud Atlas," they mean much more than usual, as the time/space/character​/genre-crossing and -bending film (a clumsy mouthful, to be sure, but an accurate assessment) reuses its stars throughout the film, even going so far as casting them as different ages and races. Of course, this bold choice seems to be in service to the film's tagline: "everything is connected." But will that resonate with non-festival audiences?

Take a look at the film's latest trailer, and let us know what you think of it (and if you can even make much sense of it, beautiful as it is). Check out a new trailer for "Cloud Atlas," thanks to Apple, after the break.