The Farewell

2019 | Drama | 98 minutes | English and Mandarin with English subtitles

Info

Chinese-born, New York-raised writer Billi Wang, maintains contact with her grandmother, Nai Nai, who lives in Changchun, China. Her parents, Haiyan and Lu Jian, inform Billi that Nai Nai has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has only a few months to live. Billi has an idea: The family will pretend her cousin is getting married and the entire family will travel to Nai Nai’s home and celebrate. They also decide not to tell Nai Nai that her illness is terminal. Billi is guilt-ridden. Her parents beg her to stay in New York and not participate in this lie. The doctor treating Nai Nai feels that this kind of dishonesty is appalling. The “wedding” banquet is well-attended and very emotional as the many family members get together and celebrate with Nai Nai. As they tearfully returned to their homes in Japan and the U.S., the family was satisfied: Nai Nai was never told that she had a terminal illness.

Cast

Awkwafina (Billi Wang) / Tzi Ma (Haiyan Wang, Billi’s father) / Diana Lin (Lu Jian, Billi’s mother) / Zhao Shuzhen (Nai Nai, Billi’s paternal grandmother)

Why Stream This Film?

Two Different Worlds We Live In is simply a song. This film depicts two different worlds in a way that will affect viewers emotionally. It will probably make most of the 10-Best Films lists at the end of the year.

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 99%
Metacritic Score: 89

Accolades

Atlanta Film Festival: Winner, Audience Award
Sundance London: Audience Favorite
The film is expected to receive several Oscars and Golden Globe Awards.

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While director/writer Lulu Wang’s film is obviously personal and culturally specific, it achieves a universality and a resonance through its vivid depiction of a family in the midst of crisis. In sharing her story with us, Wang achieves a masterful tonal balance throughout THE FAREWELL. She’s made a film about death that’s light on its feet and never mawkish. She’s told a story about cultural clashes without ever leaning on wacky stereotypes. She finds a variety of moments for her actors to shine within a large ensemble cast. And she’s pulled off one of the most perfect endings you’ll ever see. The entire film is pretty perfect, actually, and it’s one of the year’s best.

Christy Lemire

RogerEbert.com

Nothing in Wang’s film feels like manufactured tension. Nai Nai’s fading health and the family’s rare time together keep them from saying anything that can’t be walked back. Sometimes, the film argues, it’s the things we don’t say that prove how much we care. Billi’s path to acceptance of this makes THE FAREWELL one of the most heartfelt homecoming films in years.

Matthew Monagle

The Austin Chronicle

Grief and love coexist in THE FAREWELL, as do truth and fiction, past and present, sorrow and joy. It’s an outstanding, quietly devastating, deeply personal story, and one that’s destined to put Wang firmly on the map.

Alissa Wilkinson

VOX

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