Review: The Farewell
What would you do if you find out that the most beloved person to you is having a terminal illness and very less time left to live? Would you tell the person and let them bid a goodbye to everyone important to them or you keep that information away from them and let them enjoy their final few days in oblivion?
The Farewell is a story about that perplexed situation. Billi is an aspiring writer, struggling to find success and a path to it, living in New York along with her parents. Having moved to America from China at an early age, all Billi have with her, are the memories of her childhood which she spent with her beloved grandmother "Nai nai". Learning from her parents that her grandmother is suffering from cancer and has only few months left to live, Billi is thrown into more dismay as her parents tells her that the whole family is planning to gather together back in China under the cover up of a wedding, and moreover she is to be left behind as they fear that she might betray their plan of not letting "Nai nai" know of her situation. Though she dissents the "plan" by the rest of the family, Billi decides to show up for the "wedding" to bid farewell to her beloved grandmother.
The movie is adequately charming and occasionally witty as well, even though the whole story lingers around the predicament and agony of a family struggling to deal with the realities, embarrassment or shame they feel upon themselves for their chosen priorities. The film also throws light upon the cultural diversities existing between east and the west, and for a brief moment let the characters take on an argument on the abovesaid topic weighing in the pros and cons of both worlds without reaching a definitive answer.
Billi, played by Awkwafina, is a character which goes through a lot of emotional stress and to her credit, Awkwafina has been able to provide the necessary edge to it by playing it with such poignancy that the viewer would feel the suffocation of letting a truth hidden in their chest and wanting to scream about it. All the characters are memorable and played to perfection by a well chosen cast but the stand out character for me was none other than the beloved, loving and sometimes stubborn "Nai nai", played so gracefully by Zhao Shuzhen. Her character would take us back to our memories and moments spent with our grandparents and by the time the screen goes dark, you will be wrapped up with a heavily nostalgic and emotional heart.
Lulu Wang has done a perfect job in placing all the pieces together in a family drama, for which she took inspiration from her own life and personal experience. The movie tells us about the values and the bond a family holds, irrespective of any cultural difference or upbringing. One of the best movies of the year and you would want to be a part of this family at least once.
The Farewell is a story about that perplexed situation. Billi is an aspiring writer, struggling to find success and a path to it, living in New York along with her parents. Having moved to America from China at an early age, all Billi have with her, are the memories of her childhood which she spent with her beloved grandmother "Nai nai". Learning from her parents that her grandmother is suffering from cancer and has only few months left to live, Billi is thrown into more dismay as her parents tells her that the whole family is planning to gather together back in China under the cover up of a wedding, and moreover she is to be left behind as they fear that she might betray their plan of not letting "Nai nai" know of her situation. Though she dissents the "plan" by the rest of the family, Billi decides to show up for the "wedding" to bid farewell to her beloved grandmother.
The movie is adequately charming and occasionally witty as well, even though the whole story lingers around the predicament and agony of a family struggling to deal with the realities, embarrassment or shame they feel upon themselves for their chosen priorities. The film also throws light upon the cultural diversities existing between east and the west, and for a brief moment let the characters take on an argument on the abovesaid topic weighing in the pros and cons of both worlds without reaching a definitive answer.
Billi, played by Awkwafina, is a character which goes through a lot of emotional stress and to her credit, Awkwafina has been able to provide the necessary edge to it by playing it with such poignancy that the viewer would feel the suffocation of letting a truth hidden in their chest and wanting to scream about it. All the characters are memorable and played to perfection by a well chosen cast but the stand out character for me was none other than the beloved, loving and sometimes stubborn "Nai nai", played so gracefully by Zhao Shuzhen. Her character would take us back to our memories and moments spent with our grandparents and by the time the screen goes dark, you will be wrapped up with a heavily nostalgic and emotional heart.
Lulu Wang has done a perfect job in placing all the pieces together in a family drama, for which she took inspiration from her own life and personal experience. The movie tells us about the values and the bond a family holds, irrespective of any cultural difference or upbringing. One of the best movies of the year and you would want to be a part of this family at least once.
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