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'Solo' is a ride worth taking
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Published: July 2, 2009
As with his two previous films, Man Push Cart and Chop Shop, Winston-Salem-born filmmaker Ramin Bahrani's latest work, Goodbye Solo, focuses on a working-class immigrant pursuing modest dreams.
This time, the focus is on Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane), a Senegalese taxi driver who lives in Winston-Salem. He is a friendly, talkative soul, eager to help his clients. He hopes one day to become a flight attendant, if he can pass the necessary tests.
As the story begins, he becomes perplexed by an unusual request from William (Red West), who wants to be driven to Blowing Rock, no questions asked. Judging William's dour demeanor, Solo suspects that William plans to commit suicide, and Solo tries to befriend the man and convince him to change his mind -- or, at the very least, comprehend his motivations.
What follows is a poignant character study about two wildly different men, one who wants to connect emotionally and one who doesn't. The premise could easily become a saccharine feel-good movie or a weepy melodrama, but Bahrani deftly avoids cliches. Both actors turn in first-rate performances, as does young Diana Franco Galindo as Solo's precocious 9-year-old stepdaughter.
Local audiences will enjoy seeing such familiar sights as The Peanut House, Crystal Towers, Stratford Road and the downtown skyline on the big screen. But even without the local connection, this would be a film worth recommending.
. Rated R for adult language, themes and some violence. Playing at the Grand 18, Luxury Carousel. Run time: 91 minutes.
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