Reviews of Goodbye Solo
Displaying all 3 reviews
Jeremy Moss
19Feb10
Respectable film. I must say though that the story itself … the whole two-unlikely-friends thing is less than satisfying. However, Bahrani’s approach and the film’s tone did indeed work for me. The characters are alive and the ending is dramatic (almost breathtaking) yet subtle. The absolute lack of a musical score is thrilling and deserves praise. It is carefully crafted realist cinema; a contemplation on life, aging, and relationships with a 21st century global perspective.
That all being said, with or without a musical score, with or without professional actors, with or without flashy cinematography, this is basic kitchen sink melodrama in three acts.
Jazzaloha
30Nov09
Peabody’s review is harsh, but understandable if Savane’s (Solo) performance didn’t convince and win him over. To me, the success of the film largely depends on that, and for me, Savane’s performance worked. The viewer has to believe that Solo is a genuinely human and caring person. His loquaciousness comes out of a love for people, not some juvenile need for attention. That’s why I didn’t mind his intrusion into William’s life.
I agree with Pavel that a lot of these feelings come through the eyes, but I would add the facial expressions as well. I really liked the performance by Savane, and I think it’s worthy of an Oscar nomination.
I’m still not sure about the meaning of the ending though.
- Currently 3.0/5 Stars.
asuraf
4May09
The third film from the highly talented Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani is a beautifully sculpted examination of human interaction and compassion, filmed, like “Man Push Cart” and “Chop Shop”, with Neo-Realist attention to performance, location, and human nature. In a depressing strip of Winston-Salem, cab driver Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane) picks up William (Red West), a 70-ish old man with a life’s worth of pain; he makes a deal with Solo to drive him two hours out of town to a windy cliff, no questions asked, but when Solo pegs the guy for suicide, he takes it upon himself to befriend the old man and change his mind. From this simple set-up Bahrani and his co-writer Bahareh Azami (the Zavattini to Bahrani’s de Sica) fashion a friendship of struggle and need based both on economic situation and past failures, with the optimistic Solo finding William’s angry exterior tough to crack, and that we are only slowly given any information about the characters, especially William, grows the fascination and mystery. There are some who think Bahrani might be the best independent filmmaker working in America today; with films as good as “Chop Shop” and “Goodbye Solo”, that’s spot on.
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.