Reflection on the Film "Goodbye Solo" and Readings "Indie" and "World Cinema"

Film and Readings Response
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Film and Readings Response
Film: Goodbye Solo
Reading #1: Indie 2.0, Ch. 4: Social Realism and Art Cinema (Geoff King)
Reading #2: World Cinema, Ch. 3: Film Production and Finance
Cinema is a crucial component of the society because it preserves history and heritage. It represents the society's social, cultural, political and economic aspects, which often carry significant lessons. This piece reflects on the film Goodbye Solo and the readings Indie 2.0, chapter 4, Social Realism and Art Cinema (Geoff King) and World Cinema, Chapter 3, Film Production and Finance. It explores the central arguments in the film and the readings, social, cultural and historical issues and the themes presented.
The central argument in the film Goodbye Solo is the value of life. The movie tells the story of Solo, a Senegalese living in America who works hard as a taxi driver to earn money to support his family. William, an old American man, hires Solo to take him to the Blowing Rock but does not request a ride back, making Solo assume that he wants to commit suicide and goes after him (Bahrani, 2008). These show that the film's central argument is the value of life.
In the first reading, Social Realism and Art Cinema, the central argument is the art of film production and how it represents the social, political, cultural and historical reality of the society (King, 2013). It argues that most films are based on real issues affecting society. On the other hand, the second reading on Film Production and Finance explores how cinemas are financed during the production and distribution to the audience (Deshpande & Mazaj, 2018). It discusses types of film production funding, including private and public.
Goodbye Solo brings out several social, historical and cultural issues. The first issue is immigration, diversity and race relations. The film stars Solo, a Senegalese cab driver who migrated to America. Solo interacts with William, highlighting the theme of diversity and immigration (King, 2013; Bahrani, 2008). Their interaction shows the cultural differences, but Solo's help shows the positive side of cultural and background diversity. Additionally, Solo is an African, while William is a white man. The interaction of the two characters explores racial dynamics and bridges the gap creat...