Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy- I Swear This Has Never Happened To Me Before

I have to respect the makers of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for something I've never before seen in any movie: a plot so incomprehensible that I could not follow it. (And, I've seen Primer.) Sure, I've missed a point or two in many films. I've had trouble dealing with plot holes. I've gotten a few characters mixed up. I've missed a subtle double meaning of a scene. But, I might as well have slept through Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. After seeing the movie, this is all I know about it: British Intelligence is looking for a mole at the top of its organization during the Cold War (I got that part from the trailer.) and they eventually found him. (I'd like to spoil that part, but I don't know who it was.) Here is a loving look at how they managed to make a film so amazingly confounding.

Character Overload- I can keep track of about five distinct characters without any help. Beyond that, I need some way to tell them apart. Different races, genders, accents, missing body parts. I need the director to give me some clues. There were about ten characters of consequence in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, every one of them a white, British male.

Names?- These characters have names, right? How 'bout using them from time to time? I can only recall one character being referred to by name and seeing as he was the lead, his name was the least important to know for clarity's sake.

Time Travel and Body Swapping- Half of the film was told in flashback, told from the perspective of several different characters. It would switch timelines and perspectives far too often, usually with no clear indication of a transition.

The Subtly Sweet-spot- The Last Airbender was dragged down by, more than anything else, an overabundance of exposition, but it was completely comprehensible despite the fact that it took place in a unique fantasy world and had a fairly complex plot. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy lies on the other end of the subtly scale were it just isn't communicating any information. The subtly sweet-spot lies somewhere between the two. The opening sequence of Up, which shows a very clear and detailed Carl and Ellie's life together without using a word of dialog, is located perfectly in the subtly sweet-spot.