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Based on a true story
”I don’t know how God works.”
Everyone has a story. As a columnist at the LA Times, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.) quests for those stories to share with his readers. When he met Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) on the streets of LA, he knew he might have a story. What Lopez didn’t know what that he’d soon have a good friend – and an amazing education.
Ayers, a mentally ill homeless man, lived out of his grocery cart full of only possessions. He was playing a stunning classical piece on his violin when Lopez heard and approached him. The violin only had two functional strings and yet Ayers made beautiful music with it.
Lopez pieced together Ayers’ story and found that he had attended Julliard for two years. The cello had been his first instrument but he lost his when he began living on the streets so he taught himself how to play the violin.
When Ayers played, he heard the applauding of the pigeons' wings urging him on. Nathaniel’s rambling dialogues and gibberish are splashed with sheer poetry at times. “Suspended between boy genius and lost travel,” as Lopez wrote.
Lopez’ column grew to several columns about Ayers and the newspaper readers responded. The columns opened the eyes of many ordinary people to the plight of the homeless and caused a wave of volunteerism and activism in getting LA’s skid row cleaned up, helping these people get the assistance they need.
A moving film that can’t help but affect people. Many, many homeless in LA were hired as extras in this film.
Also appearing are Catherine Keener as Mary Weston, Lopez’ ex-wife and his editor; and Lisagay Hamilton as Ayers’ sister Jennifer.
Directed by Joe Wright.
Run time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Rated PG-13.
My personal rating: A
Based on a true story
Everyone has a story. As a columnist at the LA Times, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.) quests for those stories to share with his readers. When he met Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) on the streets of LA, he knew he might have a story. What Lopez didn’t know what that he’d soon have a good friend – and an amazing education.
Ayers, a mentally ill homeless man, lived out of his grocery cart full of only possessions. He was playing a stunning classical piece on his violin when Lopez heard and approached him. The violin only had two functional strings and yet Ayers made beautiful music with it.
Lopez pieced together Ayers’ story and found that he had attended Julliard for two years. The cello had been his first instrument but he lost his when he began living on the streets so he taught himself how to play the violin.
When Ayers played, he heard the applauding of the pigeons' wings urging him on. Nathaniel’s rambling dialogues and gibberish are splashed with sheer poetry at times. “Suspended between boy genius and lost travel,” as Lopez wrote.
Lopez’ column grew to several columns about Ayers and the newspaper readers responded. The columns opened the eyes of many ordinary people to the plight of the homeless and caused a wave of volunteerism and activism in getting LA’s skid row cleaned up, helping these people get the assistance they need.
A moving film that can’t help but affect people. Many, many homeless in LA were hired as extras in this film.
Also appearing are Catherine Keener as Mary Weston, Lopez’ ex-wife and his editor; and Lisagay Hamilton as Ayers’ sister Jennifer.
Directed by Joe Wright.
Run time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Rated PG-13.
My personal rating: A
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