Short Takes: The Farewell (2019)

The Farewell - written and directed by Lulu Wang - is the story of a Chinese family who, upon discovering that their matriarch has been diagnosed with terminal cancer with only a short time to live, decides to keep the news from her, in the hope that her final days will be filled with Joy, rather than worry. It’s suggested that such protective deception is the prevalent Chinese custom. Family members come from far and wide to pay their respects, but use the pretext that they are there attending the wedding of Grandma’s grandson, Hao Hao. Hao Hao’s family, although living in Japan, have cooperated by expeditiously arranging for the wedding ceremony (setting the gossip mongers aflutter), which is held in Grandma’s hometown of Chungchun (a city of four million people in Northeast China).  

Our protagonist is Billi, a young Chinese-American woman from New York, who was born in China and emigrated with her parents at age 3. We track the narrative and form our impressions of the Chinese mishpocha largely through her – which is to say with American eyes. Billi, in her late twenties, is somewhat of an outsider who, to the dismay of her parents, has not yet found her métier. But she’s quite attached to her Chinese grandma, whom she calls Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao). When she learns that her parents are rushing off to China for the “wedding”, Billi ferrets out the truth and insists on going herself. As played by rising star Awkwafina [Ocean’s Eight (2018), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Billi is both headstrong and sympathetic, as well as intelligently observant. She’s also a proponent of the minority view that it’s not right to lie to Nai Nai. 

Comparisons have been made to last year’s Crazy Rich Asians, in large part because like that film, The Farewell has an all Asian cast; but really that’s also where the similarity ends. The former film was a big budget ($30 million plus) romantic comedy, with lots of glitz and a preposterous plot about a gaggle of catty, privileged single girls all trying to bag the rich bachelor. It was an extravagant, fluffy entertainment, but little more. In contrast, The Farewell is a richly observed study in cultural differences relying on wry, yet finely drawn characterizations of Nai Nai and her family, from her caretaker sister (known as Little Nai Nai); to her adult children, including Billi’s father and her Uncle (father of the groom); along with Billi’s mom, Billi’s cousin Hao Hao and his fish-out-of-water Japanese bride Aiko. As with any family, there are petty, long-simmering rivalries, sometimes clashing personalities, a fair dollop of humor, and a core, abiding love for and loyalty to their matriarch.

All of which makes for a charming, fascinating, sentiment-filled film about culture and family ties. A picture that has sparked renewed discussion about whether honesty is always the best policy when dealing with medical diagnoses. Oh, and I should also mention that this is an autobiographical movie, based on the real-life experiences of writer/director Lulu Wang and her family. The opening credits suggest that the film is “based on an actual lie.”  Which may give you some idea about the tone of the picture.

The Farewell is also a movie that has struck a chord with critics and viewers alike. Commercially, it is an indie cinema success story: made for about $3 million it has already grossed over $11 million in limited release over just four weeks. And it is still going pretty strong. You might want to check it out yourself.

1 hour 40 minutes                               Rated PG

Grade: B+

In fairly wide release.