This film follows six stories that take place during six time periods. The first takes place in the 1800s, in which Adam, a lawyer from America, visits a Pacific Island nation on business. After witnessing a slave being whipped, he begins to feel uncomfortable doing business with these people. The slave stows away on the ship ride home, and saves his life from a wicked doctor attempting to poison him. In the 1930s, a bisexual composer named Frobisher is reading Adam's journal while working on a sextet with his famous mentors, an elder man named Ayrs. When Ayrs tries to claim Frobisher's sextet as his own, Frobisher shoots him and commits suicide, shortly before the arrival of his distant lover, Rufus Sixsmith. In the 1970s, Luisa Rey, a journalist, encounters Sixsmith, now much older, who helps tip her off regarding the lack of safety at a nuclear reactor run by a wealthy CEO. After Sixsmith is murdered, Rey must avoid the CEO's hitman and expose this nefarious plot. In 2012, a wealthy publisher named Cavendish, who reads the book Rey wrote on her ordeal, is locked in a nursing home against his will by his brother, and he plots his escape with the help of the fellow inmates. In the 2100s, a human clone named Sonmi is enslaved by a fast food restaurant. She is rescued by the commander of a rebellion, who shows her banned writings and cinema (including the film version of Cavendish's escape from captivity), and she in turn begins to lead the rebellion against the government herself. Finally, in the distant future, a simple tribesman named Zachry must help a member of an advanced race reunite with her people before the vicious forces that surround them kill them all. In each story, the same actors play all of the different roles, stressing the connectivity between generations.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a beautiful series of stories unfolding over three hours, full of gargantuan set pieces, amazing special effects, some terrific makeup, and a lovely sense of spirituality.
Best scene in story:
Sonmi's escape from her captors is a tremendously exciting scene, filled with exploding spaceships, big city exploration, and a fast pace.
Opinion about the main character:
The story begins with Adam's acceptance of a kindness from a slave, and his behavior sets the wheels of destiny in motion. It's easy to care for a man who recognizes when others care for him.
