Aug
26
2009

The Soloist

Submitted by admin

solo Based on a true story. From the Academy Award nominated director Joe Wright – “Atonement”, whom with screenwriter Sussanah Grant gives us a truly inspiring and uplifting movie.

We are introduced to Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr) a newspaper columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Steve is looking for a good story to write about. By chance Steve meets Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless person, playing a 2 stringed violin absolutely beautifully.

What starts off as material for Steve’s column, develops into something more for both of these men. Nathaniel begins to trust Steve and we see a special friendship form. As the story unfolds we learn Nathaniel was a former Juilliard student, whom was a gifted cello play, whose bouts with mental illness landed him on the streets. The film shows us in the form of flashbacks to when Nathaniel commenced at Juilliard and what causes him to drop out. As a child music was Nathaniel’s escape.

All Steve wants to achieve since he met Nathaniel is help him. Which he does, through his articles, readers and the Mayor of Los Angeles pledging funding for the homeless people of Los Angeles.

In the end Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr) is not sure if he has in fact helped Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) at all. Steve says some people believe he has. But after a year of knowing Nathaniel, Steve became his only friend. Nathaniel sleeps “inside.” Steve considers himself extremely lucky for having met Nathaniel and now has the utmost respect for Nathaniel.

The film ends with a staggering fact:

“There are 90,000 homeless living on the streets of Greater Los Angeles.”