Anamnesis

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2014)

In his dialogues "Meno" and "Phaedo" Plato expresses the idea that "humans possess knowledge from past incarnations and that learning consists of rediscovering that knowledge within us". That is what the process of Anamnesis is. And I am very much fond of it.
That is exactly why I think that the movie (and the book) "Cloud Atlas" is a masterpiece of both cinema production capacity and storytelling. And not only that, it is a perfect stage for the manifestation of acting talent. That is something which Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy and the rest of the cast undoubtedly possess.
We as mortal people tend not to believe in the eternal and transcendent features of our words, actions and essentially of our souls. And that is understandable. One cannot see beyond his judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. This marvelous mosaic structure of the plot seems at first very hard to cope with. But here come Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis to direct it well enough that it all blends in. The pace of the events in the plot move like a train - first slowly, but then it all speeds up until the characters, the stories and the genres interflow into one parable about love, freedom and the consequences of every choice being made.
"Cloud Atlas" is not only about the immortality of the human soul. It is presenting us the gifts of life that make us human - the values which stick us together around the globe. Such a daring and visual (what incredible make-up and costume artists!) masterpiece does not defy only the usual structure of the narrative, but also (more importantly) our understanding of what is the answer to the eternal question - "What is the meaning of my life?". And at the end of the movie we desire to receive a revelation, but instead we get "a look in the mirror". This movie is complex in its form, but simple in its substance. Life is what you make it and it's YOUR own choice to make it through violence or LOVE.