Tonight: Sometimes the humblest ingredients make the richest feast. North Carolina-born indie director Ramin Bahrani presents quiet, naturalistic dramas with rare vision, empathy and intelligence. His 2006 debut, "Man Push Cart," focused on a onetime Pakistani pop star adapting to his new life as a Manhattan street food vendor.

Last year's follow-up, "Chop Shop," offered a revelatory look at the lives of outer-borough Latino teens living in the same rundown garages where they hustle cars.

His latest, "Goodbye Solo" (★★★★ out of four stars, unrated) examines the unlikely bond between a gregarious immigrant cabdriver from Senegal and a bitter old Southerner determined to commit suicide. Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane) is emotionally generous, reaching out to the angry, withdrawn William (Red West) on a mission to persuade him that life is worth living. William wants a one-way ride to the cliff at North Carolina's Blowing Rock state park; Solo dreams of becoming a flight attendant. With minimalist precision, Bahrani draws us into the men's unlikely relationship as they reach across cultural and generational hurdles, and communicate with eloquent, wordless looks. The film's scale is intimate; its resonance is universal. Bahrani will introduce the film's area premiere. (7:30 today, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. $6-$8. 612-375-7600 or walkerart.org.)