Cloud Atlas | Author Sean T. Smith

This is a story of triumph, so please bear with me because it might not sound that way at first. Happy endings aren’t worth a damn if there weren’t tears along the way.

I love writing and God. The love of those two intersect, in spite of my passion for other things. I love my wife and my children. I love to play music and dream melodies and yearn to create something beautiful and true.

I love the way the sun breaks when it’s rising over the Gulf of Mexico when I’m so far from land that the sea and sky are the world, and there is that perfect orange light born, glittering on the waves, and the hope of a good fish and that day sings in my chest. The best part, knowing that the next day will be just as good, infused with the same hope. For me, those moments have been few, and I’m blessed to remember them.

It is easy and dangerous to make the things we love God.

A mentor and friend, a brilliant songwriter far beyond me, convinced me that the only way to succeed was to be willing to sacrifice everything at the altar of writing. I listened to him and to my own demons and learned the wrong lessons. My friend would smack me in the back of my head now if we were sitting next to each other at a bar in Nashville. I have tears in my eyes remembering him and the way he made me a better writer, and I wish I could hear him say something sarcastic and kind.

Writing is not God, though we make it so.

Writers are not destined for pain unless they choose anguish. Joy is the lyric and the page and the melody and truth beneath. God is God.

I just finished watching one of the best films I’ve seen in years, Cloud Atlas. Some folks did not like the convoluted structure of the film, which features six story-lines over hundreds of years. After about twenty minutes, I was still confused, but glued to the screen. By the time the credits rolled, I did not want the film to end.

The acting is perfect, with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry standing out in an ensemble cast. The film covers hundreds of years, with interweaving story lines and connections between each piece in history, from the mid-nineteenth century to the distant post-apocalyptic future.

I do not in any way believe in reincarnation, and you don’t need to in order to enjoy this movie, which is really about redemption, love, and freedom. The way our actions impact those around us, and how our decisions for better or worse can ripple through the generations. The special effects were excellent, and not over-done in the way of most science fiction movies.

Every now and then, Hollywood surprises me by producing something cerebral and true; at a time when the box office is flooded by bombastic fluff and when the television is full of shows with zero substance, Cloud Atlas is like a cool drink of water on a hot day. It felt like I was reading a superb novel, layered and subtle, with engaging characters who grew over time.

I’ll be watching this one again soon.