Directed by Lulu Wang
* * * ½
Somewhere in the midpoint of The Farewell, the family is gathered around the dining room table, and behind
Billi sits a piano, an instrument which she was once very fond of. She peels
herself away from the hustle and bustle of family dialogue to play. After
playing a couple of notes to find her footing, she plays a solo that seems to be
at war with itself – it is fast and kinetic in energy with seemingly the entire
range of the piano utilized, bringing about an overwhelming myriad of feelings.
No matter how wild this solo gets, it never teeters over the top or loses
control, but it always seems to be on the verge.
If I had to pick a favorite
moment from Lulu Wang’s wonderful new film, I think this would be it – tonally,
it is a film that seems to be on the verge of crossing every threshold of
emotion, but always manages to keep itself in check, just like Billi’s solo. Ultimately,
I can’t see myself placing The Farewell in my “Best of the Year” list, but there is
no denying that it is still stands as an excellent film that will go down as one
of the year’s best-written films, with its power further driven by two
exceptional lead performances.
Bad news washes over the family: the matriarch, the elderly Nai Nai
(Zhao Shuzhen) has been stricken with stage four lung cancer, and is only
expected to live no more than three months. She does not know this, though, as
the family has decided it is best that she remain in the dark about her
condition, that way she can enjoy her short time remaining. A ploy has been
organized to get the entire family together in their Chinese home one last time
(in the guise of a wedding).
Taking this news hardest is Billi (Awkwafina), Nai Nai’s granddaughter.
Billi is the most Americanized of the family, having emigrated to America with
her parents at the age of six. Billi is a woman out of place with her
surroundings – unable to quite fit in with her parents, and unable to find her
place in American society (she opens her mail to find a rejection letter for
Guggenheim Fellowship). The only person Billi seems to click with is her
beloved grandmother, so much so that Billi is initially forbidden from the
family gathering (they are worried she will spill the beans regarding Nai Nai’s
condition). Nonetheless, against these wishes, she packs her bags and hops on a
plane to China.
There is no other way to put it; The Farewell is about as
bittersweet an experience as a film can get. An odd place to start, but I mean
this in the best way possible, and it’s all on account of Wang’s direction and writing,
which is damn near perfect. The impending
doom of Nai Nai’s ultimate fate hangs over the film no matter what, but believe
it or not, The Farewell is also a very funny movie. Not in a black
comedy kind of way, but rather the wackiness of the family’s antics. Wang is
precise throughout, knowing exactly
when it’s time to laugh, when it’s
time to ponder, when it’s time to cry, and so on. This is already a remarkable
feat to begin with, but The Farewell
jumps very rapidly between its
countless moods, and not once does Wang lose her stability or her footing – she
pulls it all off perfectly.
But The Farewell’s power would not be a fraction of what
it is without its performances. Everybody involved is just fine, but Awkwafina
and Shuzhen are phenomenal. Shuzhen is beyond lovable; always making jokes here
and there, always down-to-earth, always carrying on with that kind of
quirkiness that only grandmas are capable of. You observe as if she were your own.
On the flipside is Awkwafina in what is allegedly her first leading dramatic
role. I’m not too familiar with her work, but I hope for many more roles to
come from her. She hits all the right notes as a young woman yet to find her
place in the world, a stance I think all of us can empathize with. When these
two women share the screen together, though, that’s when their magic really works.
Near the film’s end, these two share a hug, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt a hug
in a movie quite like that (not even Lost
in Translation’s final embrace was
on this level).
Along with everything else, The Farewell is a classic Eastern
family drama akin to the likes of Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien, albeit more
accessible and to-the-point that what you might expect – the clash of East
& West culture becomes a prominent theme throughout, the internal struggle
of carrying burdens for the sake of family vs. carrying on for oneself. The
result is a film with many a topic of conversation to follow, but it’s not
without its flaws – we only get hints of Billi’s struggles in American society
as well as with her family before she sets off for China (a change in scenery
that is rather abrupt when I think about it), and considering how important
this internal struggle is to her journey throughout the film, I feel the first
act should have been much more expanded upon. Maybe it’s not perfect, but I
still had a wonderful time with The
Farewell, and I think you will,
too.
And just wait until you see the ending.
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