Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez finds himself in the midst of a recession-hit office and consequently has an urgent need for good news stories. In order to avoid the dreaded cut, he begins searching for the right story which will secure his job and also cement his professionalism. He soon discovers and befriends a mentally ill and highly educated homeless man called Nathaniel, who displays a penchant for classical music and an extraordinary talent for performing it, even with half-broken instruments.

Intrigued by the unusual situation that an educated man like Nathaniel finds himself in, Lopez proceeds to delve into the street musician’s history to discover the course of events which resulted in him living on LA’s Skid Row. It transpires that Nathaniel is a former Juillard cello prodigy whose promising career was cruelly cut short due to incontrollable schizophrenia. 

Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles documenting his life whilst cementing a friendship which won’t necessarily benefit either. Dealing with his own disenchanted life and recently ended marriage, Lopez sees his chance of making a difference for the lives of both Nathaniel and the underclass living in the underprivileged and dangerous streets. 

Academy Award-nominated Atonement director Joe Wright has teamed up with screenwriter Susannah Grant to tell this true-life story of the unlikely meeting between Nathaniel Ayers (played by Jamie Foxx) and Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.).

With a classical theme throughout the film, it’s prudent that the soundtrack consist of classical music written by timeless composers. Dario Marianelli has put together music including Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude by John Sebastian Bach as well as more contemporary contributions such as ‘One Day Like This’ from the Mercury Prize-winning Elbow.