Cloud Atlas and the Case for Reincarnation

If you are a frequent reader of my blog by now you know that I am in love with science fiction and fantasy books. I wrote my own, Five Days of Darkness http://amzn.to/Vzvjwo . I was concerned about having six different characters telling their individual perspective of each day’s events, until I went to see the movie, The Cloud Atlas. In a way I’m sorry I didn’t read the book first, so I could have been prepared for the six  stories that are connected but disjointedly linked together. And just think. I was worried about six characters.

The book, The Cloud Atlas, http://amzn.to/YfA3dX was written by British author David Mitchell in 2004. The book won the British Book Literary Fiction Award. Now in 2012, it’s a 120 minute movie that requires all of your brain power to be present. If you don’t follow the movie closely you’ll be lost for most of the movie. The structure of the movie is challenging to the viewer and from what I have read about the book, it is just as challenging to read. However, the book and movie are about reincarnation, the laws that govern the Universe, and the many archetypical roles we play as our soul ascend and descend to and from the planet Earth. It was interesting how the movie emphasized how a part of our soul is able to see parts of its past, present and future.  There was a strong emphasis on souls reincarnating together and finding each other, déjà vu, and showing the good and bad personality qualities that a soul carries from one incarnation to another. A stellar performance by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and others. 

This is definitely a movie to watch at home where you can rewind the movie as many times as you want to. Throughout the movie I wished I had a remote control to do just that.