After Homeless Court this past Thursday, I went with several fellow law clerks to an old movie house in Pasadena for a matinee showing of The Soloist. I loved it. Great, great movie. It may be too late for anyone who has missed it to catch it on the big screen, but when it comes out on DVD I’d highly encourage everyone to check it out.
It isn’t often that you get a full-fledged movie to define an entire summer of your life, but for those of us working in Homelessness Prevention at Public Counsel, The Soloist does a pretty good job of capturing our 2009 summer.
The Soloist does a nice job of communicating the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles. Specifically, it does a terrific job of communicating the HUGE incidence of mental illness among the homeless as well as how hard it is to combat that problem.
But in the end, what I liked best was that it didn’t claim to be a movie with secrets on how to change the world. Steve Lopez is not portrayed as Nathaniel Ayers’ savior. Instead, it is the story of an unlikely friendship. And how friendships across social chasms may be the most beautiful thing we can create.
Minutes to Memories 