Goodbye Solo

Thirty-four-year-old Senegalese cabbie Solo just picked up what could be a $1,000 fare. On October 20th-in about two weeks-Solo's 70-year-old, curmudgeonly passenger William wants to be driven to Blowing Rock, a towering cliff just outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (where they both live). But William doesn't need a ride home, and Solo quickly realizes his passenger's suicidal intentions. Unable to comprehend a life without hope, vivacious Solo resolves to do whatever it takes to change William's mind, despite William's adamant resistance. Over the next two weeks, Solo brings William to bars, introduces William to his nine-year-old daughter Alex, and even persuades William to help him prepare for his upcoming exam to be a flight attendant. Slowly, the two develop an unlikely friendship. But is that enough to restore William's will to live? In his third film GOODBYE SOLO, Ramin Bahrani once again captures brilliant performances in a touching, sincere tale about friendship, family, and the interchangeability of hope and desperation. – E.J.B.