An incredible, heartbreaking tale featuring some of the most beautiful instrumentation ever captured on film is the basis for The Soloist, a film based on the book of the same name released last year by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez.
This richly made film tells the story of Lopez (Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder), who meets an exciting talent in a chance encounter on the streets of Los Angeles: a homeless man named Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx, The Kingdom) playing the violin.
After witnessing Ayers' natural ability, Lopez stands both amazed with Ayers' talent and slightly confused about his situation. He finds out that the man was a child prodigy who went to The Julliard School of New York, before suffering the effects of paranoid schizophrenia.
The plotline follows Lopez's quest to help Ayers through various forms of generosity, while not fully realizing his true problem.
This movie features Foxx's best performance since his turn as Ray Charles in the 2004 film Ray, for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. His performance here is so real that audiences will forget that Foxx is even playing the character. Viewers will be reminded of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Foxx could very well be up for an Oscar by next year for his portrayal of Ayers.
Just as interesting is the story of how Ayers developed his mental illness as a child. Justin Martin (High School Musical 3) plays the young Ayers and further adds to the audience's sympathy for the character.
Along with the excellent performance by Foxx, viewers will enjoy the spot-on directing, courtesy of Joe Wright (Atonement).
Wright displayed great sequencing back and forth to show Ayers as a child in the beginning phases of his illness, as well as his experience with instruments. The great lighting effects shot in Los Angeles also help give the film scintillating colorful visuals that help tell the story and attempt to portray the thoughts and imaginations of a person with a mental illness.
The most impoverished areas of Los Angeles are captured in some scenes, both beautiful and darkly displayed in others, to great effect. Overall, the director finds a way to give a calm setting to the normally fast-paced Los Angeles.
The Soloist fulfills the purpose of enlightening the audience to the condition of Ayers and his homelessness. It also illustrates how his brain limits his thinking, while at the same time displaying how much genius he holds.
As Lopez forms a friendship with Ayers and attempts to help him, he also bonds with the other homeless people - hundreds of them - to understand them beyond their stereotypes.
Music is, understandably, also a major aspect of the film. Foxx plays the cello and violin superbly, playing out the mood of the scene through his instrumentations. There are also a couple of impressive performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, adding musical flavor to the film.
The only problem in the film is the character of Lopez. Although Downey's acting is nothing short of incredible, what fails is the scripting of his character - the film never makes light of any of his story after the first few acts.
Maybe if the movie had been extended for another half hour, this could have been touched upon. But, then again, it's possible that the director didn't want to take attention away from Ayers' storyline.
This is a must-see film with great showings from two incredible actors who blend the ingredients of illness, music, compassion, heartbreak, trust and friendship.
