Movies that Move
Every year, LifeWorks provides a pathway to self-sufficiency for more than 4,000 youth and families, many of whom are facing life’s most difficult challenges, including homelessness, trauma, and abuse. While every client’s story is different, understanding their past promotes greater empathy. This empathy is an integral part of our community.
Here are six stories of people experiencing homelessness that we think you'll like:
The Soloist
In 2005, the only thing hurting Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez more than his face from a recent bike accident was his pressing need for story ideas. That is when he discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a mentally ill, homeless street musician who possesses extraordinary talent, even through his half-broken instruments. Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about Ayers and attempts to do more to help both him and the rest of the underclass of LA have a better life. However, Lopez's good intentions run headlong in the hard realities of the strength of Ayers' personal demons and the larger social injustices facing the homeless. Regardless, Lopez and Ayers must find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations to hope for a brighter future for both of them.
Reviewed by Kenneth Chisholm
The Pursuit of Happyness
Already struggling to eke out an existence, against the backdrop of early-1980s San Francisco, the earnest and hard-working bone-density-scanner salesman, Chris Gardner, finds himself with the back to the wall. Left with nothing when his wife abandons the family, the financially hard-pressed father will have to take care of his five-year-old son, Christopher, all by himself when, unexpectedly, the prestigious stock brokerage firm of Dean Witter offers Gardner an unpaid six-month internship. Now, bent on becoming a stockbroker, Chris is willing to go to great lengths to succeed; however, life can be challenging and cruel. Will Chris' efforts pay off? Can the determined parent make his dream come true?
Reviewed by Nick Riganas
Nomadland
Left with nothing but a broken heart, widowed Fern, a former substitute teacher, finds herself forced out of her home in Empire, Nevada, when the local U.S. Gypsum plant closed the mine, and with it, the town, in 2011. Faced with a bleak economic future, Fern crams her scanty, memory-laden belongings into a beat-up, second-hand van and hits the road, travelling from town to town, state to state, in search of work opportunities. As dignified Fern adopts a nomadic, hand-to-mouth lifestyle, along the way, she meets other kindred spirits, silver-haired, fellow modern-day nomads, whose entire generation suffered a crippling blow after the 2008 financial collapse. But, when the world is collapsing around you, and memories are all we have left, is home just a word?
Reviewed by Nick Riganas
A Street Cat Named Bob
A Street Cat Named Bob is an incredible feel-good movie, that despite its dark subject matter, makes your heart swell. It’s a story of survival and the strength of friendship. Proof that dogs aren’t man’s only best friend, this is a tale that highlight’s the healing powers of feline friends. Life affirming and heart-warming, A Street Cat Named Bob will lift your spirit and heal your soul.
Reviewed by Kat Hughes
Sesame Street – watch videos here: Lily and Karli
Sesame Street introduced a homeless muppet for the first time in order to help its young viewers learn about the issue. Lily is a seven-year-old girl whose family comes to stay with friends when they lose their apartment. Karli was introduced as the face of the Sesame Street in Communities foster care initiative. The center of the new initiative introduces viewers to the concept of “for-now parents.”
Do you have a recommendation? Let us know in the comments!