I saw the movie last night and enjoyed it. Not only did it make me appreciate my talent of playing the violin, but it made me think about some of the people passed every day. On the street corners, in the store parking lots, under the bridges, and the ones I help feed during one of my community outreach services.
At the end of "The Soloist" we are told that there are over 90,000 homeless in the City of Los Angeles and I think more than anything, the film gives us an opportunity to stop and take a better look. Who are the homeless? Do we just lump them in a group under that title or do we actually consider the individual? Is there something we can be doing to lessen that number or do we just keep avoiding?
My ex-lust Djimon Hounsou was homeless on the streets of Paris when discovered by Thierry Mugler & oh how glad I am that Mugler took a second look at this particular homeless man. Steve Lopez, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times did the same thing with a homeless man by the name of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers and "The Soloist" tells the story based on the book written by Lopez of the friendship that formed.
I tend to believe that everyone has a bit of insanity in them (whether they acknowledge it or not) and the difference in us all is how well we are able to handle it. Most of us have functional insanity, some get along fine with medication, and others have just crossed that line of no return. One of the social workers points out to Mr. Lopez during the movie that all the people he works with have been diagnosed and medicated to no end yet he doesn't see how it's helped. One lady in the film complains of how the lithium takes away the voices in her head and the voices in her head sometimes soothe her.
A lot of artists are often very close to the edge of being considered insane and many times jump off the cliff. I think Jamie Foxx is a true "artist" and in recent interviews he's spoken of having to seek professional therapy during and after portraying Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (diagnosed schizophrenic) for the film. Ayers is an amazing musician who left Julliard after the voices became too much. I am glad that his story has been told and his music is still making a difference. The voices seem to take a time out occasionally for Ayers, but thankfully the music never does. Good film! http://www.soloistmovie.com/
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I heard Doug E Fresh on the radio last week and he gave Jamie the highest compliment he could probably get. Doug E had met Nathaniel Ayers and said that Jamie nailed it.
ReplyDeletesmart people often blog well
ReplyDeleteI vividly recall, at the marie calendar house of pies after church on a sunday when I was maybe 12, a homeless man with a large plate in his head walked in. We were shocked and quiet. Homeless people were not common yet.
ReplyDeleteA manager got rid of him quickly. My father was visibly shaken, he talked about his parents feeding people out of the back door during the depression.
After our meal, he drove us around for about half an hour, looking for that guy. Never found him.
He wanted to be sure my sister & I understood, and that we were to do something when we saw that.
That was before the floodgates opened.
I don't think you can tell younger people today, that there were not always people living underneath bridges. They have no experience of that.
You could see about a 4 inch across metal plate in his head, on the temple. They were dumping the institutional wards on the street.