Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is a 2012 film that depicts six interrelated stories of people starting in the nineteenth century to the year 2321 (post-apocalyptic). All of these short stories reveal the hardship of the human life by illustrating the struggles of each the characters. The movie begins with a foreshadowing of the seventh story that is during the post-apocalyptic era in which Zachry is telling these six stories to his grandchildren.

The first story takes place during the slavery period. Ewing is a business man who comes across a slave Autua and later goes against the norm to reject slavery. The second story is about a bisexual musician who is blackmailed by Ayrs who threatens to reveal his sexuality if not given credit for Frobisher’s work. Frobisher ends up killing Ayrs and then himself. The third story is about Luisa a journalist who is trapped in a conspiracy about a nuclear reactor. She is finally able to expose the plot. The fourth story is about Cavendish who is trapped in a nursing home because the gangster whose book he has published wants to get his money. However, Cavendish plans an escape. The fifth story is in the year 2144 about Sonmi-451 who is a clone about to be recycled (executed). She tells this secret information to the entire population before she is captured. The final story is about Zachry who is living after the destruction of civilization. He feels guilty about not saving his brother-in-law when he is killed by the chief. Zachry meets Meronym one of the last civilized people. Later, both of them go off to a new journey to the new world.

The Buddhist idea of karma is evident throughout the movie. The actions of the characters cause more actions. The mistakes that human beings make continue throughout time periods. The idea that the lives of characters are interwoven and bound to their previous lives is very much a Buddhist idea. The wheel of samsara continues until one can break free from the material world. We see Tom Hank’s multiple characters go through birth, reincarnation and bound by karma. The only way for his character to break free from his multiple lives is to attain salvation or nirvana. Thus, in the last story there is a transition from the old world that can be symbolic of the material world to the new world (nirvana). Zachry and Meronym break free from the old world as they journey off to a better life getting rid of their struggles.

This movie was very interesting and took a while to realize the overall Buddhist idea but was a great watch!