In North Carolina, the optimistic taxi driver Souléymane Solo is hired by William, a stoic 70-year-old, to drive him to Blowing Rock, the peak of a jagged mountain, in two weeks time. When Solo finds out that William’s plan is to commit suicide, he decides to stop him by becoming his friend.

The American dream gets a sharp-eyed, open-hearted look from the ground up in this outstanding indie. In the title role, Souleymane Sy Savane is a captivating force of life, and rising director Ramin Bahrani bowled over the critics, including Roger Ebert, who declared it one of the year’s best.