In mid June 2013, Tykwer was reported to be developing an adaptation of Eggers' 2012 novel with Tom Hanks to star. By early March 2014, Sarita Choudhury, Alexander Black, Tracey Fairaway, David Menkin, Ben Whishaw, and Tom Skerritt rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in late May. Filming took place in Morocco and Egypt, Africa, as well as Berlin and Düsseldorf, Germany.
The film stars Hanks, Choudhury, Black, Fairaway, Menkin, Whishaw, and Skerritt. It's entirely possible to enjoy the film solely for its strong performances from the cast, especially from the ever-reliable Hanks.
It's an earnest but misbegotten adaptation, which reduces a moving tour de force to a dull and homiletic house of frenetically shuffled cards. Whatever your age, even if life is an ocean made up of many drops, you may resolve that life is too short for this errant nonsense. Unfortunately, these bold ambitions come to naught. They confuse the cosmos with the costume department and wind up lost in a world of wigs and bonnets. However, it's the perfect film for all those people whose one, undying wish in life is to swim with dolphins. Yes, the film is ambitious, and impressive in some respects. But as it labours to clarify its own confusion, mapping every last nook of narrative space, any sense of real mystery is obliterated by platitudes about freedom. While the film has its flaws, there are plenty of moments where I found myself seeing the big picture and fully realizing the weight of every storyline linking to one another throughout time. Tykwer clearly aimed high, and while the final product ultimately falls short, there is still quite a bit to admire in the failure of their epic folly. I wouldn't call the film great cinema, but some of the mix and mash trumps the balderdash. For all its wisdom and intelligence however, there's a great sense that the quirks and oddities of the stories are more valuable in the book. This daring, mind-bending soul journey is a spell-binding extravaganza. This film is interesting. But it also fails. It is an evocative, imperfect beast of a movie. Adapted from Eggers' novel, the film sometimes veers into eye-rolling territory with its grand statements - but fortunately, it works more often than not. It is a shame that this adaptation could not have coherently pieced together its pocket of inherent dullness among the intermittent comedic splash-and-dash. Brilliant or pretentious - or both? An avalanche of ideas cascade relentlessly in this full throttle and stimulating film that is often frustrating, as it puts forward its proposition that we all need each other.
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