The Farewell
Directed by: Lulu Wang
Runtime: 98 minutes
When I was fifteen, my mother pulled me aside and let me know some terrible news. I was, obviously, devastated, but what upset me even more was the fact that the rest of my family had known for over a week but didn’t want to tell me as I had a big assignment coming up. I felt confused and betrayed. But that was just how my family did things, a nuance that I was never able to properly articulate or seen articulated until I watched The Farewell.
The Farewell stars Awkwafina as Billi Wang (a fictionalised version of writer director Lulu Wang) who travels to China to farewell her Grandmother (called Nai-Nai and played by Zhao Shuzhen) who only has weeks to live. However, due to a Chinese custom, Billi’s entire family is keeping this information from Nai-Nai who believes they’ve all come together for a wedding.
As the leads Awkwafina and Shuzhen are great, but I particularly enjoyed the latter’s performance. She filled every scene with a particular kind of warmth, slipped between comedic and dramatic performance with ease and subtly gave off the impression that Nai-Nai knew more than she was letting on. Regardless, the entire cast performed with such ease that there was no doubt in my mind that this really was a family.
It was clear that DP Anna Franquesa Solano was inspired by the environment of Wang’s family, creating wide open frames for the cast to interact in and out of. It’s not always beautiful but it’s real, textured and inviting.
There were times were I felt like I was on the outside of a joke, not quite understanding what was going on beneath the surface of a scene. Yet, can I fault a film that never wanted to let me in on the joke in the first place? I greatly enjoyed the fact that this wasn’t a film about China or about Chinese customs—it was a film about a family. Wang in her screenplay and direction so completely hit the mark on what it feels like to grow up as an expat. Billi is both part of her culture but separate, babied well into adulthood (at one point Billi’s family express concern that she’s too emotional but she actually holds herself better than most in the family) but fundamentally willing to do her best to please.
One fault I could give the film, one that really reduced my enjoyment of it, is that it dragged. I’m generally a fan of long, dialogue-heavy scenes but combined with Wang’s fondness for slow-motion montages and sequences, I felt myself pulled out of the action. That’s a bit of a personal gripe though, as it’s clear this choice was made intentionally with a clear focus in mind. I also felt like sometimes the score did the heavy emotional lifting, guiding us in a way I didn’t think was needed.
The Farewell is well worth the watch, especially if you’re a fan of excellent performances, passionate directing and beautiful images (which I assume everyone is). Or hell, watch it if you’re feeling a little homesick and want to experience the love that Nai-Nai exudes to all around her.
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