It’s perfect that Lulu Wang’s breakout Sundance fave The Farewell should arrive just before Mother’s Day. The film, which received some of the best reviews from Park City, including a glowing one from yours truly, is all about family and the burdens we shoulder to protect the people we love. However, family means different things in different parts of the world, and the way those differences are portrayed here are what make this movie great.
Oh, and it has Awkwafina. That helps.
“Based on a true lie” is an accurate description for The Farewell, which is based on a story that first appeared on This American Life. In her first major dramatic role, Awkwafina plays Billi, a Chinese-American who learns that her beloved Nai-Nai is dying back home in China with only a little time left to live. However, her family has decided to keep the truth from her, a decision Billie doesn’t agree with and struggles to contain when she flies to China to be with Nai-Nai over the family’s objections.
While the somber subject of death is ever-present, Wang injects a fair amount of humor while giving a terrific cast plenty of moments to shine. This is Awkwafina’s coming out moment, though, and I think by the time people have seen her in this we’ll be talking about her as a sleeper awards contender. She’s truly fantastic, and so is this movie.
The Farewell opens in theaters on July 12th.
