Movie Review: 'The Farewell' Is a Heartwarming and Moving Story of Family

YouTube rapper turned actress Awkwafina teams up with indie director Lulu Wang for The Farewell, a moving and heartfelt film about a Chinese American woman who travels back to China when she finds out her grandmother is terminally ill. The catch is that the family has decided not to tell the grandmother, or Nai Nai, about her illness. It’s a surprisingly uplifting film that, while culturally specific, explores universal themes of family, impending loss, and returning to your home town after being abroad for years.

Billi (played by Awkwafina) is a struggling artist who keeps getting hit with bad news. First, she finds out that she has been rejected from the Guggenheim Fellowship, which comes as a blow to her dreams of being a successful writer. That same night, she goes to dinner at her parents’ house, only to be told that her Nai Nai (played by Shuzhen Zhao) has Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Billi’s cousin has hastily planned a wedding with his girlfriend of three months solely as an excuse for the family to reunite around Nai Nai one last time. Billi’s parents don’t want her to come, as they fear she would reveal the cancer diagnosis to her grandmother. That doesn’t stop her though, as she books a flight and surprises the family at Nai Nai’s apartment in China.

From this point on, the vast majority of The Farewell consists of Mandarin dialogue with English subtitles. While her character is often teased for her poor Mandarin, Awkwafina is able to perfectly enrapture the fish-out-of-water sensation of feeling like an outsider, even when surrounded by family.

As the wedding approaches, Nai Nai remains in the dark about her illness and devotes all of her attention to the upcoming nuptials. It’s fun to see all the traditional Chinese customs on display. Nai Nai’s overjoyed, positive attitude is almost infectious ,and it’s easy for viewers to feel the same affection for her as Billi feels. She’s simply a loving, kindhearted grandmother.

The plot summary may make The Farewell sounds like a depressing tearjerker, but I am happy to report that the film is not as heartbreaking as one might expect. It’s filled with lighthearted moments of the family and charming interactions, mostly between Billi and the other characters. The film opens with Billi in New York, on the phone with Nai Nai, and their relationship is almost palpable. Audiences can feel the mutual love the two share, and this continues throughout the film’s conclusion.

Director and writer Lulu Wang based the film on her own family’s experience, and used the character of Billi as a reflection of herself at the time. The movie’s tag line, “Based on an actual lie” confirms this, and its naturalistic, understated performances only further highlight the plausibility of the situation. Despite The Farewell being Wang’s second feature film, it is directed with the assurance and confidence of a longtime filmmaker. She employs slow motion, wide shots, and long takes expertly to highlight both Billi’s unease and the Chinese culture.

The film’s all-Asian cast was a point of contention for Wang, as both Hollywood and Chinese production companies tried to persuade her to add a white lead to the cast. Wang refused, and I think the film is better for it. It’s a story about her family, and no character seems unnecessary or superfluous.

Awkwafina, primarily known for her YouTube videos, was cast in this film before her two breakout roles last summer, Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. It’s fascinating to see her switch from broad comedy to this more dramatic role. She does so seamlessly. It seems as though there’s nothing she can’t do.

The Farewell is very culturally specific, highlighting Eastern customs like their drinking games, food, thoughts on family, and even their ideas surrounding death. In being so specific, it simultaneously feels universal. These specific characters may not resemble your family, but there’s an undeniable relatability to it.

It’s nearly impossible to walk out of a screening of The Farewell without feeling uplifted. It will likely inspire many calls to parents and grandparents, which is always a good thing. It is an extremely relatable, moving, heartfelt, and surprisingly upbeat film about the prospect of impending death with a phenomenal performance by Awkwafina. While The Farewell is currently still in limited release, it will be expanding nationally throughout August, and I strongly recommend you make the time to see it. Amidst the summer sequels and blockbusters, The Farewell is a small, independent film with enough heart to make even the most cynical moviegoer feel moved.