''Goodbye Solo'' is a 2008 American

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

written and directed by Ramin Bahrani. It premiered as an official selection of the

2008 Venice Film Festival The 65th annual Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on 27 August 2008 by ''Burn After Reading'',

where it won the international film critic's FIPRESCI award for best film, and later had its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was distributed by

Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of ...

. The film exhibits significant thematic and plot similarities to Abbas Kiarostami's 1997 film '' Taste of Cherry''.

Plot

Solo, a

Senegalese Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

cab driver, is working to provide a better life for his young family in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. William, an old man with a lifetime of regrets, hires Solo to take him to Blowing Rock, a peak in which updrafts cause objects that are dropped from it to fly upwards. William does not ask for a ride back from the rock and is obviously

depressed Depression may refer to: Mental health * Depression (mood), a state of low mood and aversion to activity * Mood disorders characterized by depression are commonly referred to as simply ''depression'', including: ** Dysthymia, also known as p ...

, so Solo assumes that the old man intends to commit suicide there. Solo befriends William, in hopes of talking him out of ending his life. He introduces William to his wife and his stepdaughter Alex, hoping to inspire the old man with the joys of life. Solo takes William in his taxi to Blowing Rock, and returns without him.

Cast

Souléymane Sy Savané Souléymane Sy Savané is an Ivorian actor. He is best known for his role in the drama film ''Goodbye Solo'' (2008). Life and career Born in Côte d'Ivoire, Sy Savané moved to Paris and also worked as a flight attendant for Air Afrique. Air Afr ...

as Solo *

Red West Robert Gene "Red" West (March 8, 1936 – July 18, 2017) was an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter. He was known for being a close confidant and bodyguard for rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. Upon his firing, West wrote the co ...

as William * Diana Franco Galindo as Alex

Reception

On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, 94% of 108 critics gave the film a positive review. The site’s consensus reads, "An original and thoughtful human drama, ''Goodbye Solo'' looks at relationships and loneliness while proving director Ramin Bahrani's is an important American voice." The film was hailed as "A force of nature" by critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, who awarded it four out of four stars. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' A.O. Scott said it has "...an uncanny ability to enlarge your perception of the world."

Awards

In 2008, ''Goodbye Solo'' won the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

’s FIPRESCI International Critics Prize. It was also named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of 2009 by the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

was nominated for Best Male Lead for the 2010

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

References

External links

* * * {{Ramin Bahrani 2008 films 2008 drama films 2008 independent films American drama films Films about taxis Films about suicide Films directed by Ramin Bahrani Films set in North Carolina Films shot in North Carolina American independent films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films