The Soloist

Plot

The Soloist is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a musical prodigy who develops schizophrenia during his second year at Juilliard School. Ayers becomes homeless and plays a two-stringed violin in the streets of downtown Los Angeles. One day Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), an LA Times Columnist, meets Nathanial and decides to write a newspaper column for the Los Angeles Times about Nathaniel Ayers and his homelessness. An old woman takes sympathy and sends Steve a cello for Nathaniel to play. In attempting to help Ayers, Lopez is forced to grapple personally with the complex issues and frustrations surrounding the thousands of mentally ill who are homeless on the streets of L.A.

Production

The Soloist, directed by Joe Wright, was written by Susannah Grant, based on a series of columns^[2] written by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who chronicled the plight of Nathaniel Ayers, Jr., a musician with schizophrenia, and eventually was chronicled in Lopez' book, The Soloist.^[3] Grant drew elements of the story from a book written by Lopez, which was published in the spring of 2008.^[4] The film was budgeted at $60 million, twice the budget amount of Wright's previous film, Atonement.^[5] Production began in January 2008 and was filmed mostly in Los Angeles,^[

Sherry Odonnell wrote:Last night I watched this movie, and for anyone who is working in an organization such as our SWVBRC it's a must see. It's based on a true story, and the extra parts of the DVD go into much detail about the homeless situation in Los Angeles, and many of the people in the movie are homeless members of skid row, that the movie company trained and paid to be extras. 

I listened to the numbers, if there are 90,000 homeless in this ONE area of L.A. the national statistics will tell you 30,000 of them are Veterans. and ONE is too many!

The movie blows away the myths, that homeless people are homeless because they made bad choices or they want to be homeless, and reinforces something I kinda have been thinking for awhile, they don't KNOW they need help, or that there is any other way to live, or any solution to their problems.

I am honored to be working with the efforts Albert has started here reaching out, and networking Veterans. I want to make a difference for someone, who has served this country honorably and now needs the services, that we, as a community, can help bridge access to.

Maybe you won't find me walking around skid row, anytime soon, even in daylight, that looks like a scary place, BUT, just maybe the efforts we apply here, will keep some Veterans from ever reaching skid row in the first place.

Sherry,

I will make it a point to watch this film soon! Of course there are exceptional talents out there, like the homeless musician featured in this film. And the chronicaly ill homeless person is a separate issue. However, most of us are one paycheck away from being out on the street. It doesn't take an exceptional talent to be successful, only the desire to have a quality of life which empowers one to be truly successful in the heart of hearts.

With the resources at the Southwest Veteran's Business Center, many Veteran's will become empowered to become business owners and funnel their passion towards building their own futures. Not only will the center help raise awareness of the need to eliminate homelessness among Veteran's but it will also provide some long term solutions to an age old problem through both education and resources.

Respectfully,

Loretta Chacon

The Fair Housing Council of Riverside County, Inc.