Aspires to Humanity's Most Noble Search for Truth and Meaning

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2013)

Cloud Altlas in nothing less than an attempt at conveying a sense of the cycles of dharma, the Kalachakra, the wheels of time that we are bound to, and the archetypes and themes that move through history and through lives. At best it gives you a glimpse of the heavenly motion of the greater cosmic templates of which we are usually unaware. At worst it panders to the lowest common denominator incorporating cliché Hollywood techniques for engaging the audience in thriller style action and moment by moment gimmicks. The film is like a bridge from the gross to the sublime and the view from that bridge is as vast as the ocean of time. Like a James Joyce novel it is elevated, elitist, demanding of its audience, and at times tedious. I would say that it is one of the rare films that turns consciousness away from the film and upon itself, forcing the viewer to deal with their own resistance, to make sense of a complex tapestry of meaning or to walk away disappointed. It is truly a case where you get back exactly what you put into the viewing experience. The noble attempt to convey something of this magnitude, purpose and importance in an of itself must be something that we nurture in our society. There can be no greater challenge and reward for a film.