The Farewell

Starring: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara

Director: Lulu Wang

Billi (Awkwafina) was born in China but moved to New York City with her parents Haiyan (Tzi Ma) and Jian (Diana Lin) when she was very young. The limited contact with China that she has is phone calls with her Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao). After the family finds out Nai Nai has stage four lung cancer, Billi is stunned to hear that no one in the family is actually going to tell Nai Nai of her condition, out of respect for the Eastern custom. With Nai Nai only expected to live for a couple months, the family all heads back to China, using the cover of the wedding of HaoHao (Han Chen) and Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara) to spend whatever remaining time with Nai Nai they can. While the family does their best to keep up appearances and keep Nai Nai from finding out her condition, Billi struggles with wanting to tell her the truth.

This sounds like a much more somber film than it actually is. It is actually quite endearing and funny, while still maintaining the inherent seriousness of the situation. What was most fascinating to me was hearing the differences in Eastern and Western philosophies. In the West, it is illegal to not tell someone they are sick. In the East, it is better to not tell the person of their condition because they believe fear will be the cause of death and not the cancer. This culture clash results in many heartbreaking moments in the film, including Nai Nai watching confusedly as people talk about her condition openly in front of her because she can't understand English.

This is a smart and well-written screenplay with believable characters that feel very real, at times achingly so, and a heart and depth I wasn't ready for. When Billi feels frustration, so do you. When Haiyan breaks down because of feeling guilty that he moved away from his mother, you feel sad as well. The screenplay also never picks a side in what is right or wrong, and you could understand every character's perspective on the subject. I also enjoyed the way the script revealed information about the characters, especially Nai Nai.

For only her second feature, Writer/Director LuLu Wang shows a remarkable maturity and focus as a film maker without needing to resort to flashy filmmaking. I can't wait to see what project she lends her immense talent to next.

Of course, with such a complex, emotional film such as this, the acting is stellar across the board with a more naturalistic approach taken. Awkwafina proves to be a star in the making, with an incredibly raw performance. Ditto to Shuzhen Zhao and Tzi Ma who both add to the raw power on display.

This is an emotional, yet satisfying film filled with wonderful performances. Despite what could have been a downer premise, it is filled with humor and heart and I felt uplifted after watching it.

This is my favorite film of the year.

A+