Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. July 16, 2019 5:15 PM
We're all aware that our personal existence on this planet will someday come to an end but if you only had months to live, would you prefer not to know? They say ignorance is bliss yet what if this information was willfully being kept from you? This is the premise of "The Farewell", a warm yet slightly unsettling look at a family's decision to keep a fatal diagnosis from their beloved matriarch. The writer/director Lulu Wang has based her film on an actual lie that happened within her family involving her dying grandmother in China. With her second feature, Wang has created a whimsical clash of cultures and traditions that manages to be wildly absurd as well as lovingly poignant.
Awkwafina, a musical performer who has recently gotten attention as an actress with supporting roles in the films "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy, Rich Asians", appears here in a star-making turn as Billi, a struggling New York artist who is the fictional stand-in for Ms. Wang. Billi is the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, Haiyan (Tzi Ma) and Jian (Diana Lin) try to be supportive of their only child yet they don't fully understand her choices in life.
One evening over dinner with her parents, Billi senses something is wrong. They reluctantly explain that her grandmother, Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) has terminal lung cancer and not expected to live long. But what shocks Billi more than this devastating news is that Nai Nai will not be told that she's fatally ill which apparently is not uncommon to do in China.
Fearing that Billi will be unable to maintain this secret, her parents insist she stay home while they go off to see her grandmother in Changchun, China under the guise of a lavish wedding. But Billi decides to attend anyway. When she arrives, none of her relatives are particularly thrilled to see her except her adoring Nai Nai. Her uncle, Haibin (Jiang Yongbo) stresses to Billi the importance that the truth of this reunion not get out while the family carefully have Nai Nai's medical test results manipulated and arrangements are made for the fake wedding of Haubin's son, Hao Hao (Chen Han). With limited Mandarin and a very American mindset, Billi struggles to make sense of this elaborate deception and find a way to properly communicate with her grandmother for possibly the last time.
Ms. Wang had difficulty getting anyone interested in turning this story in to a feature film until she shared her tale on a 2016 episode of the "This American Life" podcast which included interviews with select family members. But another obstacle was Wang's insistence on keeping her film's focus solely on the family grappling with keeping their composure during this difficult situation while Nai Nai is blissfully unaware and simply just enjoying her reunited clan. And the director is proven correct that the addition of distractions like a comforting love interest or a wacky best friend who would be a sounding board for Billi's dilemma is completely unnecessary. The complex dynamics of this headstrong family is what makes "The Farewell" standout as a bittersweet yet heart-warming experience.
Along with the impressive Awkwafina, the rest of the cast provide expert support through their wonderful performances. But it was Ms Shuzhen as Nai Nai who stole my heart with her warm expressive face and bold lively spirit.
"The Farewell" cleverly explores the extreme measures a family will do in the name of love, even if the conduct may not be common nor seem completely rational. This film crosses a cultural and generational divide that manages to make this offbeat story universally charming and appealing. And "The Farewell" also announces the arrival of Lulu Wang as a fresh and exciting voice in the world of cinema.
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