The Farewell: A Brief Review
I don’t watch movies often, but since it’s winter break and I’m with my family, I’ve been watching a movie almost every day. I saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on my Dad’s birthday, Little Women the day after Christmas, and The Farewell and The Report in the past few days. I even started watching a Chinese sitcom called iPartment to work on improving my Chinese listening and speaking skills. Having watched a number of movies recently, I took a gander at the Golden Globe nominations. The Golden Globe Awards Ceremony is this weekend, and the main actress in Little Women, Saoirse Ronan, and the main actress in The Farewell, Awkwafina, are nominated for Golden Globe Awards.
Although I’ve enjoyed all movies and shows I’ve watched, The Farewell truly captivated my attention. Here’s a short synopsis from A24:
“In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.”
This American comedy-drama was directed by Lulu Wang and based partially on her experiences. Before being released in the United States this past July, The Farewell was presented at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019.
Although technically an American film, the vast majority of the film is in Chinese (with English subtitles). However, I believe this film is accessible and should be watched by individuals who do not speak/understand Chinese or are not Chinese themselves. This film is one that Chinese immigrants and nationals may identify with and also one able to provide individuals who are not part of these groups the opportunity to gain an understanding of what it’s like to be part of different cultures, cultures that sometimes conflict.
The Chinese title is 别告诉她, which directly translates to Don’t Tell Her. Both titles are informative, but 别告诉她 is definitely more forthright. Personally, I like the title The Farewell better because of its subtly and mysterious nature. 别告诉她 makes it clear that the movie is about not telling Nai Nai that she’s dying, while The Farewell is ambiguous and emphasizes the ominous nature of the situation. Disorientation forces the audience to work a little harder and think more deeply.
Whether you can speak/understand Chinese or have never heard a Chinese word in your entire life, I one hundred percent recommend checking out this film. With an entirely Chinese cast and a Chinese director, The Farewell accurately portrays Chinese language and culture and provides an authentic view of the clash between being Chinese versus Chinese-born and American-raised.