The Sunrise Theater ends the month of December with the German drama and science fiction film based on David Mitchell's 2004 novel, "Cloud Atlas."

This acclaimed epic covers 600 years, and is star-packed, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, David Keith and Susan Sarandon.

The movie jumps through time to tell six different stories, with settings ranging from an 1849 Pacific voyage to a futuristic 2321 post-apocalypse world.

Each story raises themes of discrimination, oppression, heroism and love, with their connections to each other throughout time. The subplots are based on love, and how humans often do not learn from their mistakes, but continue to make them over and over. One of the phenomena of the film is that the main actors play four to eight different roles - both men and women, good and bad. The sophistication of the costumes and makeup transformations apparently stumped even the critics; one wrote: "One role by Tom Hanks totally eluded me. I was shocked."

"Cloud Atlas" takes its name from a piece of music running throughout the film. The soundtrack has already been nominated for the 2013 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. Written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, the film is touted as a "cinematic experience," with a $102 milion budget.

Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film for being "one of the most ambitious films ever made," awarding the film four out of four stars. He wrote, "Even as I was watching 'Cloud Atlas' the first time, I knew I would need to see it again. Now that I've seen it the second time, I know I'd like to see it a third time."

The film runs for 73 minutes, and is rated R. It shows Friday through Sunday, Dec. 27-30 (no Monday showing), at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m.

The historic Sunrise Theater, located at 250 NW Broad St. in Southern Pines, is nonprofit. Ticket prices are $7, with a $1 suggested donation toward the new projection system.

Tickets are only available at the box office prior to shows. Refreshments, including fresh popcorn, beer and wine, are available.

For more information, contact the theater at (910) 692-8501 or the website at www.sunrisetheater.com.