The Farewell

The Farewell was a film that I meant to see last fall. But I got lazy. It's time to catch up now that I saw it on streaming. It's been a few days since I saw it on streaming, but OK. Let's go.

The film is "based on an actual lie" recounted by writer/director Lulu Wang, which was previously told on This American Life. Lulu Wang is represented by Billi Wang (Awkwafina). One day, Billi learns that her grandmother - Nai Nai in Chinese (Zhao Shuzhen) - is dying of lung cancer. Chinese custom forbids the family from telling Nai Nai of her condition. Instead, the family bears the news alone.

The family organizes the wedding of Billi's cousin Hao Hao (Han Chen), and his girlfriend, Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara), as a way to secretly say goodbye. Much of the film has Billi stuck between honoring her family's request or spilling the beans. The quick wedding ends up bringing the family closer together; more than they realize.

The film lets us see the seriousness and hilarity of the situation. We see Billi and Nai Nai's endearing relationship and understand her dread over losing her. We also see the family's dread, too, even when they try to hide it. This leads to a lot of tension between the family. But we also have time to laugh during their family time. A highlight is a visit to their grandfather's grave and quibbling over what to leave him. The climactic wedding has plenty of laughs even as the ruse nearly breaks.

The standouts of the cast are, of course, Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. I already mentioned their endearing relationship as Billi and Nai Nai. Individually, they're hilarious and moving characters. Lu Hong, Wang's real life Great Aunt, plays herself, and she's just as compelling as Nai Nai. Other highlights of the cast include Tzi Ma, as Billi's dad Hayan and Yongbo Jiang as Billi's uncle Haibin, and the aforementioned Han Chen and Aoi Mizuhara.

Now for a few technical highlights. Alex Weston's often somber score was recently shortlisted for the Oscar. It fits with the sentimental tone pretty well. Cinematographer Anna Franquesa Solano gives us some great views of Beijing and some stylish takes.

Who knows if The Farewell will be cited in next week's Oscar nominations. The original screenplay category, in particular, is pretty competitive this year. But Oscar or not, The Farewell is a captivating look at cultural differences in one family. Awkwafina certainly earned her Golden Globe for her strong performance. You can see why if you see it soon.