The Bonds We Make -- and Break

'Goodbye Solo' Gets to the Heart of the Human Condition

One of the most cheering cinematic trends of late is the blossoming of a style that could be called American postindustrial neorealism. Filmmakers such as Kelly Reichardt ("Old Joy," "Wendy and Lucy"), Courtney Hunt ("Frozen River") and Jake Mahaffy ("Wellness") are making movies that, like those of Italian neorealists of the 1940s, are deeply rooted in their time and place, giving viewers by turns harrowing and poetic glimpses into life as it is lived, right now.

The master of the movement is Ramin Bahrani, an American of Iranian descent, who made a quietly sensational debut in 2005 with "Man Push Cart," following it up with an even more accomplished sophomore effort, "Chop Shop." Bahrani's new movie, "Goodbye Solo," offers further proof that he is one of the best reasons to keep going to the movies.

As "Goodbye Solo" begins, a Senegalese immigrant named Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane) is driving a cab in Winston-Salem, N.C., and picks up an elderly passenger named William (Red West, best known as a member of Elvis Presley's "Memphis Mafia"). William asks Solo to pick him up in two weeks' time, then deliver him to Blowing Rock, a wind-swept peak in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.

At first Solo makes light of the mysterious request, but he quickly becomes convinced that William needs a friend. Brimming with optimism and convinced that his personal version of the American dream is just within reach, Solo reaches out himself, to a man who's already on the downward slope of that dream. Solo soon insinuates himself into William's life, at one point even rooming with the older man in a motel room when Solo has trouble with his wife (Carmen Leyva). But inevitably, William's two-week deadline arrives, and the men must face exactly what their friendship means.

"Goodbye Solo," which Bahrani wrote with Bahareh Azimi, unfolds with such ease that it's hard to believe it wasn't entirely improvised. And although in other hands the relationship between the crusty old coot and the expansive immigrant would devolve into too-cute set pieces, the film takes turns just as unexpected as Solo's taxi.

With a subdued sense of purpose, Bahrani measures out bits of information that make his characters increasingly fascinating. (Solo's adventures with William are livened up considerably when the former's 9-year-old stepdaughter, played with admirable assurance by Diana Franco Galindo, comes along for the ride.) But the core of "Goodbye Solo" is what transpires between Solo and William -- one an unstoppable force of faith and compassion, the other an unmovable object of grim finality. And that transaction is nothing short of miraculous, as fragile connections are made and lost and made anew.

Like all of Bahrani's films, "Goodbye Solo" is visually simple and stunning, especially the haunting nightscapes of Solo's perambulations (like Bahrani's other films, this one was shot by cinematographer Michael Simmonds). But more important, "Goodbye Solo" is driven by deep feeling and sensitivity. Don't miss it.

Goodbye Solo (91 minutes, at Landmark's E Street Cinema) is not rated. Ramin Bahrani will answer questions after the 7:30 and 9:40 p.m. screenings today and tomorrow.