Director - Joe Wright
Genre - Biography/Drama/Music
A homeless person to most of us is like an unsightly moth which fly into our field of vision uninvited and unwelcome. How many of us actually ponder how these street dwellers come to be that way? Joe Wright who directed the wonderful 'Atonement' explores this forgotten colony by focusing the tale on one Nathaniel Ayers. A child prodigy of cello, Ayers seemed like a musical miracle waiting to ascend the starlit skies. Accepted to Juilliard and ready to take on the world, he is instead struck down by an imbalanced mind. Steve Lopez, the writer for Los Angeles Times just stumbles on Mr Ayers one fine afternoon and a friendship which empowers both of these opposites of society unfolds. Foxx has shown time and again that his talent in acting is no fluke. This is another film in which he literally embodies the character. Based on a true story.
4 STARS!
All about The Soloist
Comments
http://unfetteredtastes.blogspot.com/
Not a bad film by any marker, but I think it'll get overlooked come award time.
Foxx brings with him a sense of spontaneity which usually color the performances of comedians who turn to serious acting. Will Smith has the same ability and pulling power. As you have said so yourself - you loved the acting...
Whether or not it garners any acknowledgment during awards season is immaterial to us. What matters to us is whether a film has the chutzpah in attempting to be all that it is meant to be. In this case, the film is a sincere work which tries to understand the mind of a schizophrenic vagrant. The thoughts of an individual like that would understandably be random, thus explains the random scenes you brought up.
The writer was his only connection to having a real friendship. He was the only person who looked at him as a talented musician and a valuable human being at that point. Therefore, we do not see why you wouldn't want equal time spent on the writer.
Anyway, we appreciate your comment very much. Muchos gracias. :)
I also really dug the Fantasia-esque graphics when Nathaniel listens to an orchestra play in a concert hall.
The writer brought home the fact that these homeless souls are not just statistics. They have problems just like everybody else. The sad thing is, their problems might be ten-fold compared to ours. Underneath all that filth and insanity associated with being homeless, they are simply poor souls who have lost their way.