The Farewell

          Billi is a good member of her family in the sense that she keeps in touch with her grandma, Nai Nai, often. One day as Billi is visiting her parents, she’s confused to see them in such a somber mood. Her mother informs her that her beloved Nai Nai has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and only has a few weeks left. The family sets up a fake wedding in China in order to spend time with their matriarch. Billi is devastated by this news and, against the will of her family, flies herself out to China to spend time with Nai Nai. There is one thing that bothers her the entire visit: Nai Nai is unaware of her condition hence the fake wedding. In Chinese culture, it is very common for families to not inform their elders of their fatal condition. Instead, the family carries the pain and burden for someone who they know is soon going to pass away. This proves to be difficult for Billi as she struggles to suppress her emotions in front of her Nai Nai who, unaware of her condition and the artificiality of the wedding the family has set up, is nonetheless delighted to have all her family in one place for the first time in over 20 years.
          This is another one of those films that I wanted to see at Sundance, but I never got the chance. Later in the year, the trailer was released and my excitement was boosted. The film was picked up by A24 who has sort of become a popular distributor in the indie film community. Films include Moonlight, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, Hereditary, The Disaster Artist, and, most recently and most well known at the moment, Midsommar. I was a bit curious about this film for one reason. If you closely observe A24's filmography you'll notice that they have, up to this point, exclusively distributed R-rated films. An R-rating mostly allows for almost complete freedom of dialogue and visual content for the director. The Farewell is on the complete polar opposite end of the spectrum with a PG rating, falling into a dying genre of filmmaking. A PG rating doesn't necessarily connotate an intended demographic. Sure, a child could watch this with the parent's ease, but that doesn't mean that they will understand. Much like last years adult PG film Leave No Trace, mature themes and character nuances will leave a more innocent viewer confused. This is probably coming off as a bit ageist, but I'm stating all this because The Farewell succeeds in having a universal theme of family that, for me personally, hits close to home and I'm sure it will do the same for countless others at any age.
          I myself come from a pretty close-knit family and all I could think about during the film was how lucky I, and many others, are to live so close to family. I couldn't help but almost cry as Nai Nai exclaimed how she had been waiting for something as mundane as eating dinner with her family to occur for over 20 years. The knife to the chest is the fact that she is the only one having a good time. The rest of the family carries the sorrow and pain for Nai Nai as they fear her fate. Billi and her cousin are really the only ones who appear to be having a hard time keeping their emotions in. It's hard for the older members as well, but the two cousins are also trying to grasp the cultural aspect behind the families motivations at the same time. As the days go by, more emotions are put to the stage (literally in one scene) as the family finds it hard to keep Nai Nai busy and happy.
          I honestly don't know what else to say about this movie. It's a very emotional film so make sure to bring some tissues.
          There was not a dry eye in that auditorium. When the credits began to roll, I sat in the theater and reflected on my own experiences with family and how grateful I am to live so close to a lot of them. My family does family dinner quite often so that's why the thought of not seeing your family for over 20 years was so devastating to me. I hope that, even if you think the movie is dull, you still find a moment to think about your family. Even if aren't that close to your family, maybe reach out to a friend. This film touched me like few other films have done and it's probably, so far, the best film to release this year. 10/10