Sometimes we neglect to mention an important movie here because if they never break beyond limited release a screening is so hard to find. I finally caught up to Goodbye Solo this week, and it’s vaulted in esteem to become my 3rd or 4th favorite movie of the year, so far. Today The Daily Beast joins the small chorus of boosters:
The quiet, suspenseful tale tells the story of friendship between William, a 70-year-old Southerner with thoughts of suicide, and Solo, the cheerful cab driver tasked with driving him to his destination for the act. Roger Ebert called 34-year-old Ramin Bahrani “the great new American director” and White Tiger author Aravind Adiga described Goodbye Solo as “the little film that could,” noting that Bahrani resorts to “simple, direct, and classical storytelling” to take risks and give viewers two disparate ideas about the American Dream to think about. During the lazy last few days of summer, it’s time to commit to a heartwarming—and potentially devastating—tale that is one of the hidden gems of this year.
Please try to see this wonderful movie. It combines all the best elements of The Visitor, Wendy & Lucy, and Frozen River into a film that surpasses each of those (and I admire them all). I can’t understand why Goodbye, Solo isn’t getting the same early Best Actor buzz for its incredibly charismatic star, Souleymane Sy Savane, as Richard Jenkins was already accumulating this time last year. (though, of course, I can understand why, but it makes me sad and a little ill.)
If we don’t start talking this up and sharing our enthusiasm, Goodbye Solo could slip out beyond the riptide. It should be locked in for all the major categories at the Spirit and Gotham Awards, but it’s worthy of even greater honors. Tough for a movie that’s so pure and down-to-earth to find traction on the glittery slopes of awards season, but if any film this year deserves the effort of our push, this is it.
The good news for anyone unlucky enough to have missed it: Goodbye Solo is released on DVD next Tuesday. Do your soul a favor; buy it or rent it.
