The Farewell

2019 • 100 minutes
4.8
15 reviews
97%
Tomatometer
Eligible
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About this movie

BASED ON AN ACTUAL LIE. From writer/director Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina. THE FAREWELL In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there's a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother's wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
15 reviews
JJ RR
18 January 2020
Superb film. White subtitles on white background not terribly helpful 😶
Cauthara Binti Yacub
2 February 2020
Haven't seen it yet
4 people found this review helpful
Eli Stefanova
17 January 2020
Abiculi abicito abicel-li abicito abiculi abicel-li abicito