I've been meaning to write this all week. We saw Cloud Atlas last Saturday and both Ben and I came away very impressed and wanting to see it again.
In my humble opinion, this film showcases the concepts of karma and reincarnation in the most beautiful manner I have ever seen on film. There have been other movies over the years that attempted to do this, but none have succeeded the way Cloud Atlas does.
Sadly, like many reviewers have noted, it's also a bit of a hot mess. The so-called "yellow face" makeup was somewhat of a distraction, but necessary to telling the story and keeping the thread of "same soul, different lifetimes" intact.
While I consider myself an atheist, I cannot deny that the idea of reincarnation still resonates on a deep level with me, and if I had to choose from and embrace any of the multitude of belief systems that—like reincarnation—have no scientific proof to back them up, reincarnation would definitely be my selection.
In fact, this pretty much would sum up my belief—if I believed in karma and reincarnation.
If nothing else, the movie has reminded me to be a little more mindful of my interpersonal relationships…just in case.
The book is marvelous, and highly recommended. I will be seeing the movie myself too, but am severely daunted by the length and sitting in a theater that long (my partner has bad circulation in his legs). So we will probably wait to watch it on the big screen at home.
Like you, I'm mostly a non-believer, at least in a being called God. My beliefs run mostly on the Star Wars/Jedi type thing though, that maybe there is some sort of force connecting all things in the universe. But I do believe in a "spark" (call it a soul if you like) that all sentient beings possess, that doesn't go away when the shell degrades. And karma and reincarnation (not the kind where you come back as a bug, or whatever, though) have always been a big part of my feelings in this regard. The supposition that this spark is trying to get to enlightenment, and must go through multiple material lives, constantly engaging the same set of other sparks in each life, but in different relationships, while we all try to work out our shit to get to that enlightenment, has always had a very true ring to me. If you ever want to do any reading on the subject, I would highly recommend, as well, the teachings/readings of Edgar Cayce on the subject of reincarnation.