Goodbye Solo ***

Directed and written by Ramin Bahrani,

with Souleymane Sy Savane, Red West, Carmen Leyva

2008

A story about a charming Sengalese immigrant who befriends an old man who seemingly has suicide on his mind. He knows this because he is the cab driver who is hired to take him to his rendezvous with fate on the planned day. The cab driver worries and tries to make him part of his own family, though his family life is not picture perfect either. But family is important to our cab driver (Solo) and he states that early in the film. For the rest of the film he practices what he preaches. For the most part. the old man seems to be weakening from his his hard position. But the drop off for that fateful day is still planned and needs to be carried through.

The photography is beautiful. There are many portraits of characters' faces. Silhouettes and closeups of some faces with a lot of charcter. Also some beautiful shots of the Appalachians in North Carolina.

And the character Solo is very charming. Sometimes it was hard to understand how someone could be so upbeat. But he kept fighting, even when things were not going his way. Quite admirable. His litle stepdaughter is quite adorable. She's the one that the old man seems to be attached to. This give hope to Solo seeing that the old man's attachment might forstall his suicide.