Library / Living With Mental Illness
Watch this when
The Soloist
He wanted to fix his friend. What his friend needed was for him to stay.
Who it's for
The film follows a helper, not a rescuer: Steve Lopez starts out seeing Nathaniel Ayers as a story and a problem to solve, and slowly learns that friendship means accepting him as he is.
Confused→Clear-Headed
Feelings it meets
What it is
Joe Wright's drama, adapted by Susannah Grant from Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez's book, follows Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) after he hears Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless musician, playing a two-string violin on the street.
Where to find it
Rent or buy on major digital stores. Streaming availability rotates; check JustWatch.
Before you start
Heads up: Psychosis and homelessness.
Age: PG-13 (thematic elements, some drug use, language)
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.Helen Keller, Optimism: An Essay
