The Power of Letting Go: Lessons from the movie ‘Atlas’

Recently, I watched the movie ‘Atlas’, one lesson stood out for me and stuck with me long before the movie ended.

The main character in the movie, Atlas, struggled to trust and connect with others due to past hurt. And as I reflected on her journey, I realized just how much I can relate her struggles to relationships that exist among people where lack of trust and understanding are the main problem.

In this post, I’ll share how the movie ‘Atlas’ teaches us the importance of letting go and embracing new relationships.

Atlas is a 2024 American science fiction (sci-fi) action movie starring Jennifer Lopez as Atlas Shepherd, a counterterrorism analyst who must learn to trust an AI robot (Smith) in order to capture another rogue AI robot named Harlan.

One can say that the main focus of the movie is to explain how human’s survival hinges on a delicate balance between technology and nature, as everything is being digitalized, but, there are more deeper themes to derive from it which is applicable to various aspects of life. I am positive that the perspective of a techie about this movie would vary from what I’m about to share, but as a counselor and relationship writer, my focus is on themes/lessons relating to interpersonal/romantic relationships.

A very relatable and important theme deduced from the movie is Atlas’s struggle to let go of past hurt which led to her trust issues and affected her relationship with others. Her journey shows how holding onto past pain and trauma can create barriers to forming meaningful connections and moving forward in life.

It is okay to make mistakes, it is normal as we are only humans. Man makes mistakes, mistakes make man. But we must not allow ourselves be defined by the mistakes we make. The best way, is to learn from the mistake and use it to be a better version of ourselves.

Atlas, out of naivety, made a mistake which set AI robot ‘Harlan’ on loose ends, allowing it the autonomy to act freely with a mind of its own leading to her mother’s death and several other destructions. She learnt a great deal from the event but rather than allow herself heal properly from the trauma, she blocked all appearances of what led to that catastrophic event – trust, which is something she really can’t avoid as she had to learn to trust another AI, Smith, in order to survive. It is difficult but very necessary to trust others.

This is the same issue many of us battle with today. Perhaps, you’ve made the mistake of trusting the wrong person and have gotten your heart severed, rather than locking yourself up in an ‘only me’ state, or generalizing that everyone is the same, hence, blocking out those trying to help or pushing them away, allow yourself heal. To foster the process of healing, you would eventually need to trust another, your counselor for instance, a friend or another lover. So, avoidance of the problem isn’t the solution, it only hides or shadows the truth for a while.

By finally confronting and releasing her past, Atlas is able to open herself up to new experiences, relationships, and personal growth.

Worthy of note is the symbiotic relationship that later ensued between Atlas and Smith as both were able to work together to achieve a common goal – defeating Harlan. It is also very important to understand that for there to be a healthy synchronization between two parties (friends/partners), there must be a certain level of vulnerability and adaptability from both parties and they must be willing to patiently teach and learn from each other.

Also, halfway into the movie, we saw how AI robot Smith argued with Atlas about according it some respect even though he’s an artificial intelligence in a box. This explains to us that at times, what stops people from helping us is the way we treat them. Everyone deserves some level of respect, accord them that. Building trust and respect is very essential to any successful relationship.

These lessons can be applied to our own lives by recognizing the importance of:

• Letting go of grudges and learning forgiveness
• Releasing emotional baggage
• Embracing vulnerability and trust
• Allowing ourselves to be open to new experiences and relationships
• Respecting others
• Adapting to new situations and learning from experiences.

Final thoughts – as mentioned earlier, this is a powerful reminder that our past doesn’t define us, and we have the power to shape our present and future by releasing what no longer serves us. Release yourself from stifling guilt and paralyzing fear to embrace an exciting & fulfilling future.

What about you? What lessons or themes resonated with you from the movie Atlas? I’m here to listen and discuss! Drop them in the comment box.