Goodbye Solo
Encyclopedia
Goodbye Solo is a 2008 American independent film
written and directed by Ramin Bahrani
. It premiered as an official selection of the 2008 Venice Film Festival where it won the international film critic's FIPRESCI
award for best film, and later had its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. The film exhibits significant thematic and plot similarities to Abbas Kiarostami
's 1997 film Taste of Cherry
.
. William, an old man with a lifetime of regrets, hires Solo to take him to Blowing Rock
, a peak in which updrafts cause objects that are dropped from it to fly upwards. William does not ask for a ride back from the rock and is obviously depressed, so Solo assumes that the old man intends to commit suicide there. Solo befriends William, in hopes of talking him out of ending his life. He introduces William to his wife and his stepdaughter Alex, hoping to inspire the old man with the joys of life.
’s FIPRESCI International Critics Prize
. It was hailed as "A force of nature!" by Roger Ebert
. The New York Times
A.O. Scott said it has "...an uncanny ability to enlarge your perception of the world." Eric M. Armstrong, critic at The Moving Arts Film Journal
, placed Goodbye Solo at #5 on his list of the best films of the decade (2000–2009).
International Film Critics Award - Best Film, Venice Film Festival
2008.
On December 1, 2009 it was announced that Souleymane Sy Savane
was nominated for Best Male Lead for the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards
.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
written and directed by Ramin Bahrani
Ramin Bahrani
Ramin Bahrani is an American director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert listed Bahrani's film Chop Shop as the 6th best film of the decade and hailed Bahrani as "the director of the decade." Bahrani was the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship, and was the subject of...
. It premiered as an official selection of the 2008 Venice Film Festival where it won the international film critic's FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
award for best film, and later had its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. The film exhibits significant thematic and plot similarities to Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1970, Kiarostami has been involved in over forty films, including shorts and documentaries...
's 1997 film Taste of Cherry
Taste of Cherry
Taste of Cherry is a 1997 film by the Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. It is a minimalist film about a man who drives through a city suburb looking for someone who can carry out the task to bury him after he has died.-Plot:...
.
Plot
Solo, a Senegalese cab driver, is working to provide a better life for his young family in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. William, an old man with a lifetime of regrets, hires Solo to take him to Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock (land feature)
Blowing Rock is a rocky outcropping at the town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, above a gorge in Caldwell County, in the northwest of that state.The prevailing wind blows through the gorge toward Blowing Rock...
, a peak in which updrafts cause objects that are dropped from it to fly upwards. William does not ask for a ride back from the rock and is obviously depressed, so Solo assumes that the old man intends to commit suicide there. Solo befriends William, in hopes of talking him out of ending his life. He introduces William to his wife and his stepdaughter Alex, hoping to inspire the old man with the joys of life.
Reception
Goodbye Solo won the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
’s FIPRESCI International Critics Prize
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
. It was hailed as "A force of nature!" by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
A.O. Scott said it has "...an uncanny ability to enlarge your perception of the world." Eric M. Armstrong, critic at The Moving Arts Film Journal
The Moving Arts Film Journal
The Moving Arts Film Journal is an online film journal known for its academic essays on the cultural and societal relevance of film, often offering scathing reviews of movies perceived to be low-brow, while at the same time recognizing all forms of cinema as note-worthy including often neglected...
, placed Goodbye Solo at #5 on his list of the best films of the decade (2000–2009).
Awards
FIPRESCIFIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
International Film Critics Award - Best Film, Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
2008.
On December 1, 2009 it was announced that Souleymane Sy Savane
Souléymane Sy Savané
Souléymane Sy Savané is an actor who starred in the 2008 film Goodbye Solo.Born in Côte d'Ivoire, Savané moved to Paris and also worked as a flight attendant for Air Afrique. Air Afrique secured him a visa for travel to the US, and in 2000 Savané settled in New York, where he studied acting before...
was nominated for Best Male Lead for the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
.