Solo’s the name of Goodbye Solo‘s protagonist—a friendly
Senegalese taxi driver (Souleymane Sy Savane). Solo’s also the way
William (Red West), the film’s other main character—a cantankerous
man quietly determined to commit suicide—wants to die. The men’s
lives co-mingle when William hires Solo for a one-way cab ride to a
precipice called Blowing Rock. Solo spends the weeks before the trip
trying to convince his new acquaintance not to jump—sans melodramatic
speeches; Solo buys William a beer, and visits the sad-eyed man to
share good news. (When I first tried to describe Goodbye Solo to
my boyfriend, I got choked-up trying to convey how beautiful it is.)
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2009.