New Movie Inspires

Dear Members of the Parish,

If you haven't seen the movie, "The Soloist," yet, I highly recommend it.

Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. are the stars and there are layers of

meaning in this film, which is based on a true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a

musician who becomes schizophrenic and homeless. Jamie Foxx portrays Nathaniel

Ayers, who is considered a cello prodigy, and Robert Downey Jr. portrays Steve

Lopez, a Los Angeles Times columnist who discovers Ayers and writes about him

in the newspaper.

As Downey's character follows the homeless musician, he finds himself on Skid

Row in LA. Some of the people in the film are actually homeless and the

camera takes us places we would not dare to tread. The men's relationship is

complicated, to say the least. The film speaks to the transformative power of

music and friendship. There are no easy answers to homelessness or

schizophrenia and the viewer is invited into a world that few of us rarely

think about.

There is no real mention of God in this film, but there is a deeply spiritual

aspect throughout. Perhaps it is through the beautiful soul of Nathaniel

Ayers that we glimpse the divine, or perhaps it is through his music, or both.

Whatever the case, it is a story that will stay with you long after you leave

the movie theatre.

Blessings and Peace,

Miriam