Last Friday, with some friends in Oklahoma City, I saw The Soloist (with Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx). Going into the movie, I knew I would love it because I’m a musician and it seemed the movie was about a man’s love of music (which is a big part of it).
What I left blown away by was the spotlight it shined on the areas/issues of homelessness and mental illness. These are true realities that we all come across and many are working to minister to people in these situations. I loved the brilliance of the movie. It was beautiful and brilliant in its messiness.
They showed places in LA that I have actually been to and walked – rough, scary, real places. They involved the homeless in the movie and told their story. I thank God that someone is now putting the rawness of poverty on the big screen (like I raved about Slumdog Millionaire) and am now thankful for The Soloist.
I encourage you to go see the movie and get a healthy dose of reality. Homelessness is real. Mental illness is real. How music can encourage, bring hope, bond and transcend is a gift from God and a beautiful part of this true story. Have you seen it? What did you think?