Signis

Goodbye, Solo

(JPEG) (US, 2008, d. Hamin Bahrani)

A small film but most welcome.

In 2006, American born (of Iranian ancestry with some years of film study in Iran) Hamin Bahruni made another satisfying brief film, Man Push Cart, which dealt with the life of a Pakistani with a food cart in New York City. There was a depth of humanity in this story and in the characters.

For Goodbye, Solo we are in a completely different part of the US and with a different set of ethnic characters. Solo (short for Soulemayne) is a taxi driver in North Carolina’s Winston-Salem. He hales from Senegal where he sends money to his extended family and to which he hopes to return. However, he has absorbed a lot of the American style and the US jargon. But, he has not absorbed the prevailing values. Solo is a good man, one could really declare him something of a secular saint. He is good-naturedly extrovert, cheerful and there is no trouble in his helping anyone who needs it (and who does not necessarily ask). His Latino partner is pregnant and he has a fine relationship with her young daughter.

However, the other central character is a 70 year old former biker, William (Red West) whom Solo befriends despite William’s curtness and resistance. Gradually, William thaws a little and does a deal with Solo that in ten days’ time, he is to drive him to Blowtop Mountain. It is clear to the audience and, soon, to Solo that he wants to end his life. Solo is persistently good and nice in his efforts to help William and they do become friends. William also befriends the young girl. There are many ups and downs during the ten days, especially Solo being sent away by the expectant mother and staying in a motel with William. He studies for an exam and interview to be a flight attendant and William helps with quizzes. William also goes to a local cinema and chats with the cashier.

In many ways, nothing much happens. More importantly, a great deal happens in terms of genuine friendship, affection and an attempt to give some meaning to William’s life.

The performances are just right. is completely engaging as Solo. Red West embodies this old-style biker. There is a lot of sentiment but not sentimentality. This is the kind of film that credibly and satisfyingly restores one’s faith in human nature.

Peter Malone