Goodbye Solo – DVD Review

The Film:

I pray Hollywood never steals away Ramin Bahrani from the independent scene. Goodbye Solo, his third film, might be his finest yet, but more importantly, it’s abundantly clear that he is one of America’s best directors working. Then again, maybe Bahrani can inject some originality into Hollywood? Three quiet masterpieces into his career and I bet only critics know of him. Let me enlighten you.

Ramin Bahrani is a director that works with his actors months prior to shooting. This approach gives us characters that live and breathe before and after we visit them during the course of a 90 minute running time. This approach isn’t new, but it creates a pseudo-documentary feel to the subjects, something that I think he now owns. He also focuses on stories that we should call Americana, but aren’t your typical subjects for that term. The melting pot that is America is so rarely explored with intelligence, Bahrani could be making his own genre up. Man Push Cart (his first feature) focuses on a Pakistan man living and working in New York City. In Chop Shop, one of my personal top ten films from 2008, Ale is followed as he lives and works within an unseen community behind Shea Stadium. Goodbye Solo is no different; Solo is an African working in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as a taxi driver, with bigger aspirations. Bahrani eyes pockets of life in places we don’t normally see, and I find it refreshing. America is all about its multiculturalism, yet we really only seem to hear about clichéd stories on typical struggles. But Bahrani isn’t concerned with what’s a minority or simple stuff like that. While his films focus on minorities on the surface level, deeper down, his films talk about life or a way of life, in America.

Goodbye Solo might seem simple. We’re introduced to Solo and his passenger William in the taxi as William offers him a $1000, no questions asked, to take him in a week to the top of the mountains. Solo asks why, and William tells him its none of his business. Bahrani explores deeper issues, like regret, friendship, and respect, within this setup. The film will stay with you long after you leave the theater, much like his previous two films, and I credit that to his work with the actors months prior to shooting. Souleymane Sy Savane as Solo is a force of power, highly energetic, likable, a hopeless optimist, Solo is more alive in these 90 minutes than most characters are ever explored. There’s resonance to the performance, a sense of pain hidden underneath Souleymane’s wonderful smile. His little boy wonder and curiosity about William’s doings are contagious. Solo is a guy I wish I could know.

Speaking of William, played by Red West (a former Elvis bodyguard!), there’s so much angst and sadness in his eyes, you too want to help him like Solo. You get this sense of years of pain bubbling under the surface, only to have Bahrani find him and cast him. We, film goers, will see some great performances this year, but mark my words, you won’t see two more emotionally powerful, realistic performances than these this year.

Goodbye Solo is a great, great film. Go see it for the acting and if you’re a drama fan, but you’ll appreciate it long after the viewing because of where the characters go. Bahrani and his cinematographer Michael Simmonds have such a keen eye to linger on faces and shots all in service of the theme or story. Solo and William have lived long before we met them, and you’ll be wondering about them long after the film ends. This approach to Bahrani’s films show his passion, dedication, and his keen sense of purpose on the creation of a film. That’s why Bahrani is our, America’s, best working director.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Lionsgate has released a solid presentation for the film. The audio serves the film naturally. We won’t get much audio ambiance since that isn’t Bahrani’s style, so all we can expect is clear audio for the dialogue, and we get that. The picture is really good, capturing all of the colors and lighting, as seen theatrically. Good job on this film.

Commentary: Bahrani is teamed here with his cinematographer, Michael Simmons, and be prepared for a great track, full of information. Bahrani is very knowledgeable and warm is his delivery, making it feel like a comfortable lecture. Anyone interested in his films and style, this is a must listen.

Trailers

Conclusion: I feel redundant, but Goodbye Solo is a really great film that you need to seek out immediately. Lionsgate’s DVD is pretty good too for fans. Highly Recommended.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating:

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