Feature
The Farewell
Closed Captioning is available for this film.
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.
USA, 2019, 98 minutes, In English and Mandarin with English subtitles, Rated PG, Directed by Lulu Wang
-
“Extraordinary on every level. A funny, touching, and vital film about what makes a family in any culture."
- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE -
“One of the most genuinely moving films I’ve ever seen at the Sundance Film Festival.”
– David Fear, ROLLING STONE -
“A true crowd pleaser.”
– Richard Lawson, VANITY FAIR -
“It’s a universal, well-told story any audience will adore.”
– Johnny Oleksinki, NEW YORK POST -
“By turning cultural expectations on their head, director Lulu Wang arrives at a sweet, moving, tender story of family bonds.”
– Matt Goldberg, COLLIDER -
“Poignant and funny.”
– Kyle Buchanan, THE NEW YORK TIMES