Best of 2009 (Part 8 of 10)

3) Goodbye Solo (Roadside Attractions, dir. Ramin Bahrani)

Set in Winston-Salem, filmmaker Ramin Bahrani shares a part of his home region with the world that outsiders probably never knew existed – namely our burgeoning population of immigrants and refugees. Depressed and suicidal, the American-born William (Red West) is a man alone. Meanwhile, his West African cab driver Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane) radiates with the connections he shares with a community of expatriates who chase modest dreams while doing menial labor. Complications arise between William and Solo, but it was refreshing to see in a movie set in the South that race or nationality weren’t one of them. Available on DVD.