The film focuses on six different stories from six periods in humanity’s past and future, the oldest set in the plantation slavery era of 1849 and the farthest away in distant post-apocalyptic 2321. History is not a linear progression towards something better, but good deeds ripple out and touch the lives of innumerable people.Ĭloud Atlas, the 2012 time-crossing epic from the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer, posits that all struggles humanity faces are actually one and the same. The new generation continues the work of the last and inspires others in the future to carry on the fight. From the abolitionists of the 19th century, to the Civil Rights activists of the 1950s and ‘60s, to the Black Lives Matter of today, every few years this movement is revived once more. Of course, some have taken action, their victories paving the way for those that come after to go places they never dreamed. Apathy sets in as situations worsen, all when the simple choice to act would’ve changed everything. Civilizations throughout history have collapsed because people failed to heed the warning signs or stand up for what they believed in. But this defeatist line of thinking fails to improve anything, and it’s sadly widespread. Slavery still exists at home and abroad, the environment is still on the downturn, and there’s myriad other forms of misery to wallow in that won’t be named here. No matter what we do, nothing ever seems to change for the better.
It’s hard to consider truths like these and not come away with a bleak view of the state of humanity.
The rest feel that, though they dislike the system, other options are out of the question, either because they are unfamiliar or impossible to put into practice. In fact, the majority are far too beaten down to do anything about it. It’s not as if anyone existing within this system actually thinks it works. Feelings of isolation set in, like the weight of the world is on our shoulders and no one else notices. Personal expression is whittled away bit by bit until we are cogs in the machine, robots wearing fake smiles to convince customers we really care.
We’re told that if we are born a man or woman, we need to dress this or that way and have feelings for the opposite sex that if we have a certain skin color, we need to behave in accordance and associate with others with the same skin that if we want to achieve happiness, we have to give up our autonomy, personality, and thoughts to submit to someone with money for the greater part of our lives. As we grow older, we come to understand, little by little, why so many are this way. When we’re young, we often have little idea why the adults around us behave the way they do: why they seem so tired all the time, why they fear the bills in the mail, why they sometimes seem defeated, remarking on dreams dashed and hopes unfulfilled.