Goodbye Solo

[Smarmy Douche]

http://www.jamati.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/goodbye_solo_poster_final.jpg

Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Souléymane Sy Savané
Red West

http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/images/thumbnails/GoodbyeSolo560x310.jpg

I'm thinking about seeing this on Tuesday. Has anyone else had a chance to see this one yet? Was it as good as I've heard?

[someguy]

I should check out more movies by Ramin Bahrani, I enjoyed Chop Shop. He really needs to find some good marketers though, I had no idea he released this one until recently.

[legato]

It was cute, like a poor man more narrative focused Taste of Cherry. Loved the ending though. It was very funny too.

[Shockwave]

The title to this thread scared the shit out of me. I thought Harrison Ford had died.:D

All these celeb deaths are making me jumpy.


Honestly i have never heard of this. What is the plot/premise?

[someguy]

Here's the plot from the studio

On the lonely roads of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, two men forge an improbable friendship that will change both of their lives forever. Solo is a Senegalese cab driver working to provide a better life for his young family. William is a tough Southern good ol‘ boy with a lifetime of regrets. One man‘s American dream is just beginning, while the other‘s is quickly winding down. But despite their differences, both men soon realize they need each other more than either is willing to admit. Through this unlikely but unforgettable friendship, Goodbye Solo deftly explores the passing of a generation as well as the rapidly changing face of America.

Ramin Bahrani has made two movies already, both of them have gotten good amounts of praise (Man Push Cart and Chop Shop). His movies tend to focus on the same themes/issues like immigration and the American dream in a realistic manner. The critics have really been singing his praises, some people have been comparing his movies to a new form of neorealism and Roger Ebert was calling him the next great American director. Like I said earlier I've only seen Chop Shop but I'd like to see more by him.

[legato]

I'd put him, based solely on this movie, in the Reichardt camp of neo-realism to give you a flavor. This film was much more, I don't want to say traditional or emotional but those are what come to mind, then other realism films though.

[QUENTIN]

Saw this a few weeks ago, one of the better movies this year. The two leads are incredible, the shots of a small town and its natural wonders beautiful, and the story very simple but moving. If most of the progression is predictable, the ending subverts expectations and left me very satisfied. Not quite as good as Chop Shop, but if you liked that, I'd be surprised if you didn't like this.

[Smarmy Douche]

Powerful.

It's rare that what is in the end a simple reversal of what the viewer expects can be so strong and thematically impressive. This is probably my favorite film of the year so far. I loved Up and I really enjoyed The Brothers Bloom, but this film is honest in a way that very few movies these days ever really are. This film has the subtlety that I treasure in a generation of filmmakers who largely do not know the value, or are lacking in the skill of showing over telling.

Ramin Bahrani is an exiting director.