🎬 Movie Review: The Farewell

The Farewell Movie Poster
The story starts with writer wannabe Billi, an American-Chinese young lady who’s at a point in her life where she has more doubts than certainties.
She’s very close to her grandmother (affectionately referred as Nai Nai), so her world crashes under her feet when Billi’s parents reveal she has been diagnosed with cancer and they have no intention to tell her.
'The Farewell': Reasons for a family reunion? Grandma's ...
The entire family is flying to China to stay with her, with the backup excuse of a wedding. Billi is asked by her parents to stay in the States since her face is like an open book and Nai Nai would spot immediately that something is ‘fishy’. Of course, Billi doesn’t listen to them and flies to China as well…in the end, those might be the last moments she could spend with her beloved grandmother.

Billi struggles between respecting the family’s decision and the urge to be honest with Nai Nai, but it’s not like the rest of the family is a joyful bunch: long faces, endless moments of silence and awkwardness fill the air but all of these don’t seem to affect Nai Nai, who’s more than happy to have her entire family back together and is determined to organize the best Chinese-style wedding possible!

My Opinion👍👎
I already knew this movie wasn’t going to be an easy one to watch: let aside the gloomy theme of a loved one being diagnosed with cancer, it also differs a lot from my usual preferences directorially-wise as it has lots of close-ups, silence and ordinary life scenes without embellishments. 
It may feel boring at times, but I liked it so much because of its credibility: no one would have acted differently if they knew about a loved one’s health condition.

Even if a sheer sadness fills the entire story, I loved the grandma/niece bonding moments and I actually could identify myself with Billi's struggles and doubts: everyone had those moments where one doesn't know what the future might hold and feels a little lost.

If you're a fan of directors like Sofia Coppola or Paolo Sorrentino, then you won't have problems as director Lulu Wang has a similar aesthetic style. 

Overall I totally get why this movie has been successfully acclaimed by both moviegoers and critics (Awkwafina, who plays Billi, won for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy at this year's Golden Globe Awards): it's extremely close to reality and makes the viewers question themselves about what would have they done in a similar situation. 

If you want more movies about grandmothers click HERE


Rating: 3¾/5

Ph: cambridgeday.com

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