The Farewell

The Farewell is a 2019 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lulu Wang, based in-part on her own life experiences. The film stars Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, and Jiang Yongbo and follows a family who, upon learning their grandmother has only a short while left to live, decide not to tell her and schedule a family gathering before she dies.

Plot
A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Billi struggles with her family's decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Despite the film being about a Chinese family, it's still relatable to any Asian family, as it shows that families hold similarities no matter where they're from.
 * 2) A really tasty cinematic stew of grief, depression, memories, and regrets.
 * 3) It's easy to understand and follow for Western audiences, despite most of the movie is in Mandarin.
 * 4) Lulu Wang's screenplay and direction are beyond incredible, especially considering that this movie's based on her own life experiences.
 * 5) REALLY well acting, especially from Awkwafina as Billi. Her role shows that she has gone from rapper to comedic powerhouse, just like when she starred in Crazy Rich Asians.
 * 6) Wang allows Western audiences to empathize with Billi's feelings about unfamiliar Chinese traditions and attitudes, making it all more relatable.
 * 7) Although the movie's supposed to be really funny, the story and characters are able to quietly rip your heart out by the end.
 * 8) It manages to handle subjects with subtlety and not hammering messages into the viewers' faces.
 * 9) There is really great cinematography in this movie. The camera has minimal movements and is framed beautifully.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% and an average rating of 8.73/10, with 250 out of 253 reviews being positive. The site's critics' consensus reads: "The Farewell deftly captures complicated family dynamics with a poignant, well-acted drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

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