The Farewell

11/13/2019

When a Chinese family finds out that the family’s matriarch is dying of lung cancer, complications arise. In Chinese culture, there is a saying that when you get cancer, you die. This actually boils down to the belief that it’s not the cancer that leads to the person’s death, but rather the fear of dying. As such, the family orchestrates an elaborate ruse to get everyone together for a wedding, but in reality the gathering is for everyone to be able to say goodbye to the grandmother without actually letting her know the truth. It’s a fascinating premise and based on a true story (or based on an actual lie, as the film puts it). Showing aspects of Chinese culture we rarely get to see, the film takes us on a journey to China as we see modern life and urban development. How accurate it rea

2/5/2020

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Lulu Wang shares an emotional part of her personal life by delivering a beautiful, heartfelt story about her grandmother. Even though The Farewell sticks the landing perfectly, not all of the second act’s storylines captivated me, especially the whole wedding narrative. However, Awkwafina offers a fantastic performance, as well as the rest of the cast. Alex Weston’s score elevates a lot of moments, and the drama-comedy balance is on-point. Rating: B+

5/12/2021

This movie is described as a comedy-drama and it is. But I didn’t have many laugh out loud moments. The humor is situational mainly: the writers work up to those moments that make you smile, either because you remember a similar moment in your life, or else because you can’t imagine a similar moment. As happens so often, the story is based on real events. I saw where one review title said it is heartbreaking, but I didn’t see that at all. The movie is fairly uplifting in that it shows the strengths of a family that values all of its members, particularly the very old, whose wisdom and experience aren’t as well received in many American families. When I think about it, nothing definitive seems to happen in the film: no crisis, no climax of action, but this lack of great drama didn’t d

2/1/2026

The Farewell (2019) Directed by Lulu Wang Lulu Wang's The Farewell begins with a title card: "Based on an actual lie." The lie in question is both simple and profound: when Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, her family decides not to tell her. Instead, they stage a wedding as an excuse to gather from around the world to say goodbye without her knowing it's goodbye. Billi (Awkwafina), raised in America, struggles with the deception, caught between her Western conviction that Nai Nai has a right to know and her family's insistence that this lie is an act of love, that carrying the emotional burden for her is how they honor her. Wang's direction is excellent throughout, her pacing assured, her vision clear. She tells this story without sentimentality or ju