Customer Reviews

Goodbye Solo

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Though it owes a major debt to "Taste of Cherry," which the director has openly acknowledged, Bahrani's third feature is another impressive piece of work. It's better than "Chop Shop," which mostly succeeded on the strength of its atmosphere despite its failure to offer a satisfying ending, and almost up there with "Man Push Cart," his amazing first feature. Again, one of Bahrani's constant themes, the immigrant experience in the "land of opportunity," is a constant. But the center of the film is the brief but intense relationship of a Senegalese taxi driver in Winston-Salem, NC, and a gruff, alienated old man who seems to be preparing for a mountain-top suicide. Youth and hope versus old age and disappointment, the American dream vs. its failure; family love versus family dissolution, the joy of friendship versus its price, trying to change life versus accepting what is are all deftly woven through the narrative. Like Kelly Reichart ("Old Joy," "Wendy and Lucy"), Bahrani tells us little about his characters apart from what we observe ourselves, and leaves great blanks for viewers to fill in themselves. Some will likely find this infuriating, but it's true to life. We seldom get to know fully many of the people we meet. Still, you get to know the affable Solo and taciturn, embittered William very well, thanks to the script, direction and performances. The way they affect each other's lives will deeply move you if you take this film to heart.

We saw this movie when it played locally. I was intrigued after reading Roger Ebert's thoughtful and enthusiastic supporting review after it played at Sundance. The two main actors, a cab driver from Senegal and a old, cantankerous man enter into a bargain that takes some time (think suspense)to unfold. Wonderful character development and gritty but good low light cinematography (in North Carolina) work really well in holding the audience... wondering which way each character will go. It's about lost and found dreams, unexpected kindness, and how some people need to control their destiny. Makes me want to go back to NC to see the countryside I missed.

Such a fine film, made from the simplest story elements and relying on the performances of two remarkable actors, Souleymane Sy Savane (as Solo) and Red West (as William). Set in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the film is clear from the first scene that one of the characters intends to commit suicide. Although they are strangers, the other man, a Senegalese cab driver, intends to prevent that from happening. Like a well-written short story, that simple premise is the taut thread that runs through this film to its end.

Firm believers in less-is-more, the filmmakers report in the commentary that only the actors playing the two central characters knew what the film was about. Around them are characters oblivious to what's at stake and being played by performers whose performances are thus wonderfully natural. Diana Franco Galindo is especially affecting as the young step-daughter of Solo. Just as fine for this reviewer as director Ramin Bahrani's "Chop Shop" and "Man Push Cart" - and each of them is a gem. The commentary on the DVD will be especially instructive for indie, low-budget filmmakers, as Bahrani and screenwriter Bahareh Azimi focus a great deal on the production of the film.

GOODBYE SOLO is an Indie drama about friendship, despair, & hope. Savane, a talented newcomer to the big screen, portrays Solo, a taxi driver who aspires to be part of the American dream. As a Senegalese immigrant who grew up in a society where family & friends are the hub of one's attention & energies, Solo finds it inconceivable that life in urban North Carolina (Winston-Salem) is so different from that in his homeland.

As the film begins, Solo engages in friendly conversation with his passenger William, a sullen middle-aged customer who will become a prominent figure in Solo's life. Within minutes the chatty Solo receives a sizeable deposit from his no-nonsense rider as a down payment for a trip several days hence that will significantly impact both men's lives.

As the story unfolds, William and Solo will come to know more about each other during the next several days than either might have considered possible when they first met. Their seemingly chance encounter and hastily agreed upon trip will provide viewers with a revealing look at these 2 men as they struggle with each other's different views about the meaning of life, death, family, & friendship.

Rahmin Bahrani masterfully directs both men through a series of interactions that builds gradually & suspensefully to an emotionally impactful climax that seems at times inevitable & then again becomes elusive.

Fans of this genre who patiently watch the 2 main actors (Savane & West) reveal their respectively nuanced characters will find this movie both thought provoking and rewarding.

Set in the refreshingly unfamiliar locale of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, "Goodbye Solo" is a perfectly realized human drama that, without question, ranks among the finest films of recent years.

Solo (short for Souleymane) is a cab driver from Senegal who becomes buddies of sorts with one of his regular fares - a cantankerous older gentleman by the name of William, who apparently has no family or close friends and whom Solo begins to suspect might in fact be contemplating suicide. Now Solo must decide how deeply to insinuate himself into the life of a man who obviously cherishes his privacy and who keeps all his emotions and thoughts buried deep beneath the surface of a taciturn, sometimes even resentful, exterior.

Without resorting to hyperbole, I can safely say that not only does Souleymane Sy Savane deliver the most astonishingly compelling performance I've seen in ages, but, in Solo, he has created one of the most fully actualized characters in recent memory as well. We literally can't take our eyes off Savane as he brings to extraordinary life this gregarious, highly energetic and shrewdly observant individual who's been blessed with a seemingly infinite capacity for optimism, for seeing the good in other people, and for caring about his fellow man. And it is the openhearted frankness, the complete lack of guile that Savane brings to the role that turns Solo into such a believable, fully-rounded and unforgettable character. Solo may be stuck in a nowhere job at the moment, but his innate intelligence, personal drive and infectious way with people ensure he will not be there long. Even the camera can't seem to resist Savane as it edges ever closer to his face as the movie races towards its artful, poetic and bittersweet conclusion.

As the moody and enigmatic William, Red West provides just the right note of internalized understatement to serve as an effective counterpoint to the life-affirming and extroverted qualities that flow so naturally from Solo.

Written and directed with unerring artistry and truth by Ramin Bahrani (Bahareh Azimi served as co-writer), "Goodbye Solo" is not only a genuinely great film in its own right, but in Souleymane Sy Savane, it contains a performance that truly is one for the ages. Don`t miss it.

This is a great film. Set in Winston-Salem, NC, it's about a young Senegales cab driver (Solo) who refuses to be broken by life's hardships trying to resurrect his new friend (William) from his already-broken state. Solo's joyful love for a stranger who doesn't seem to want to be loved anymore is very moving.

I want movies that examine the human condition because I believe they enrich my life. They invite me to see something new, or to reexamine something I believe I already know.

Solo and William speak and act like real people with real problems. Solo is so genuinely likable that he is surprised by William's coldness, and so he persists. For a time, and in small ways, they help each other to fulfill their individual choices, and then they part.

In some ways, this movie works like a poem. It doesn't explain everything. It leaves gaps for me, the viewer, to reflect upon.

In my real life, there are many people I see on a daily basis. They don't come with their history conveniently written out for me to study. I have to assemble the pieces they present me, and understand as best I can. Sometimes, I get to witness something beautiful. That is how life is, and that is how this movie works.

This is a beautifully rendered story about a subject not often touched on in the movies - suicide - within the framework of an uneasy relationship between an old man and his taxi driver and a clash between cultures - Africa vs Europe/America - and deeply felt ethical and moral issues - What is mine to do here, oh God, no more, no less. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!Goodbye Solo

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Set in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 'Goodbye Solo' is about a happy-go-lucky taxicab driver from Senegal who one night picks up a passenger who offers him $1,000 to drive to a secluded site in a state park on a date about two weeks in the future. The driver ends up inviting the man to briefly stay over at his house, where his pregnant wife and stepdaughter are living. In the real world, I can't imagine any dutiful husband, allowing a total stranger into his house, as the new found guest could easily turn out to be some kind of criminal who might do harm to the family.

Once you're willing to suspend your disbelief over the cab driver's willingness to trust a passenger he knows virtually nothing about, 'Goodbye Solo' draws you in as it chronicles the relationship between the cab driver and the enigmatic passenger. The passenger is played by a great character actor, Red West. In real life, he was part of the 'Memphis Mafia', working as a bodyguard for Elvis Presley for many years and later collaborating on a tell-all biography. West is about 74 years old now and has great, tough-guy, weather beaten looks along with a deep, menacing voice.

The plot follows the driver Solo (breezily played by Souleymane Sy Savane) as he attempts to befriend the belligerent William. Before the climactic trip to William's final destination, Solo drives William to the same movie theater on a number of occasions; there, Solo notices William taking an interest in a young man behind the ticket counter. When Solo asks William if the young man is his son or someone related, William angrily lashes out, stating that it's none of his business. The angry mantra is repeated ad infinitum but Solo cannot take the hint. Finally, after prying one too many times, William slugs Solo in the face and tells him he doesn't ever want to see him again. Through his persistence, Solo manages to force a reconciliation and convinces William to allow him to bring his stepdaughter with him as he drives William to his fateful, final destination.

There are moments when Solo appears to be making headway in breaking down William's resistance to softening up. William appears to take a liking to the stepdaughter (at least that's what he indicates in a notebook which Solo gets his hands on and briefly flips through) and seems to enjoy playing pool with Solo. But William's 'senstive' side is rarely on display. It's obvious at the end of the movie that William wants to end his life but we never find out why. The film's scenarist has been teasing us as to William's motivations and only provides scant clues (such as an entry in the notebook that the young man at the movie theater is his son).

The problem with 'Goodbye Solo' is that there's no payoff. William disappears (presumably having jumped off a mountain) and we know about as much about him as we did when we first met him. The sub-plots (Solo's attempt to become a flight attendant and his estrangement and eventual reconciliation with his wife) are mere distractions. The central mystery, who is William and why is he trying to kill himself, is never answered.

Today, there are too many films where screenwriters don't know how come up with a satisfactory ending. For all its good intentions, Goodbye Solo fits into this category. Despite the intriguing storyline and excellent performances, Solo runs out of gas right at the finish line.

"Good bye Solo" is an intriguing and solid movie that explores the genuine sentiments of a humble taxi driver from Senegal around a depressed old man who wants to reach the top of "Blowing Rock" one of the closest places to heaven. It's not a mere casualty Machu Pichu be mentioned in one of the clever and smart sequences of the film when Solo makes (after multiple intents) to establish a warmth relationship with this discrete man with a dolorous past.

The last fifteen minutes of the movie are simply cosmic poetry.