You can find the information of the movie at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_(film)
But nothing beats
catching the movie yourself and has your brain teased.
Its a great movie
in story line, concepts it deliver, make-up and the cinematic were
great. The director is very ambitious in how he manages to merge 6 stories into
one and yet repeatedly sending across some very disturbing meanings or logic that
"governs" our so call norms of how things function in our society
despite different time happening in different people. Its not for people that
has to keep feeling the adrenaline rush or romance although you would see
fighting and romance scenes as well. Its quite long and the frequent
alternating of the different stories can be quite disturbing as well. I would
say Matrix and Inception is a good warm up for this movie :) But the concepts
it deliver is less sci-fi and more true to what really happen actually in the world.
First concept the
movie tries to deliver is on "The weak becomes meat, the strong do
eat." Most of its stories are on slavery. A young American lawyer
witnessing the whipping done on a Moriori slave and the explanation by
the Reverend is that this tribe of people has accepted their fate to
be slaves and gotten used to their predicament. Another part on
how renowned master composer actually threaten his disciples to ruin
his reputation if his desires are not fulfilled. A fabricants (genetically-engineered)
server in a dining cafe was conditioned to believe their world to be only in
the cafe and after gaining 12 marks on their neck, they will be freed to some
paradise. Yet, the truth is they will be recycled as a food source. The last
story on how a tribe was trap into some traditions and old belief that they are
hunted by this belief when they choose to explore out of their village.
The idea is very
provocative actually. Many times we see people struggling to power in hope to
gain the power to control the weaker others. There is always this perception
that to survive is to fight. And the desire for power and control comes
fabricated (or not) beliefs and traditions to confine our behaviour to socially
accepted norms. The winner continues to rule over the weak until one day the
weak determines to fight back. Beliefs based on fear (of punishments) bring
about the fight to prove self-worthiness and such beliefs give justification to
their acts of cruelty and inequality. How on earth can mankind thrive
harmoniously if one group of people feels that they are more "divinely
privilege" than others? War still exists because these group of people
fight to prove their "divine superiority".
Another concept is
on the idea of salvation. There is a line that says not to expect someone up
there to help. And the other person (supposing more technologically advance
race) hope there is someone up there that helps. The idea of salvation derives
from hope. It has nothing to do with superstition. You can call the idea
of salvation as hope to be delivered from suffering. Quoting from ideas of
Buddhism, all sentient beings desires to live and fear death. And with that
note, all people believe in the idea of salvation no matter what form or entity
it may be. In the story, the tribe worship Goddess Sonmi for peace and guidance
when Goddess Sonmi is actually explained to be a human character that inspires
people with her words on freedom.
Most of the
stories end well with people end up trusting each other, conquering the
challenges together. Only when humanity band with each other can they grow up
stronger against calamity.
It is a movie
about freedom and breaking away of bondage by beliefs that the one in power
paints to trap the weak. Try not to see the movie as some kind of anti-religion
ideas but see its argument as a possibility to break away some of our belief
system that harms others and do us no good as well.
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