The Farewell *** (2019, Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, Diana Lin, X Mayo) – Movie Review

When a Chinese family discovers their beloved grandmother Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao) has only a short while to live, they decide not to tell her, and they stage an impromptu wedding as a cover for a family gathering for one last farewell before she dies.

The American emigrant branch of the family prepare to leave New York City for China, and headstrong young Chinese-American woman Billi (Awkwafina) decides to come along at the last minute. Billi bonds with her grandmother, struggles with her family’s decision and battles her apparently unemotional mother (Diana Lin).

The circumstances surrounding an old lady’s imminent death from terminal cancer are largely played for laughs in writer-director Lulu Wang’s surprisingly cosy and light-hearted comedy drama The Farewell (2019), which feels wrong but is certainly one way to get through life’s harshnesses. It means well and it is amusing and effective, but the feel-good approach to this true story (‘Based on an Actual Lie’) will not please fans of serious cinema who would prefer a more appropriate dark Ingmar Bergman-style approach to this far from amusing subject.

Nevertheless, the film gives plenty to laugh and smile about. It has plenty to say about the cultural differences between China and America, where hospitals and doctors cannot conspire to keep the truth from patients. The script is good and the acting strong. Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina and Diana Lin are all excellent.

It premiered in the UK at the Sundance Film Festival London on 1 June 2019.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Movie Review

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