The Farewell — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
A24 is a studio that knows how to pick and choose their films wisely. Truthfully, I believe them to be the greatest current film studio, as far as releasing consistently great content. I will always back them as a company, so when I say one of their films is terrible (if the day ever comes), it must be a pretty bad movie. The Farewell is one of their latest theatrical releases and while it may not strike a chord for everyone like it did for me, this is a genuine film from start to finish, not straying away from the characters and story it’s showcasing.
Directed with a lot of care and effort by Lulu Wang, The Farewell follows a family as they travel to China in order to attend a wedding, simply as an excuse to bring the family together as a goodbye for a dying family member, who they refuse to give truthful information to. The fact that this is an actual thing that goes on is kind of odd, seeing as most people usually know when doctors have given the information, but this “based on a true lie” as the film states, and it really did make for an emotionally compelling narrative.
I’ve only really ever experienced Awkwafina as a comedic actress in films like Crazy Rich Asians or Ocean’s 8, but she has now proven that dramatic work may suit her even more than comedic. The focus is on her throughout the majority of the film, as the broke, kind of immature young adult of the family, and the fact that she disagrees with this whole scenario is what brought this film home for me, making it feel relatable. The Farewell does many things right, but the number one thing is the characters surrounding the premise. This movie would have collapsed without them as the backbone.
Lulu Wang is absolutely a director that I will be keeping an eye on after her work here. Only having done one other feature film in Posthumous, The Farewell feels like a giant leap forward and I can’t wait to see how her career expands. The way she has delivered such a stellar cast of characters here feels more authentic than most films out there today, especially this year. With so many big-budget films hitting cinemas, this movie feels like a giant refresher and I loved nearly every second of it.
In the end, as always, hardly any films in history are flawless, but The Farewell definitely comes close. If anything, I found the movie to be a little too short, as I would have liked to explore more about what is said in the credits of the film. With that said, this is an exceptional drama that I will gladly revisit in the coming months/years. The performances alone deserve to be seen more than once. If the Oscars were being held soon, I would say Awkwafina definitely deserves some recognition. The Farewell is a great indie film that deserves more attention.
Rating: 4.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
