In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-American Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun, China as her family’s beloved matriarch Nai-Nai has been given mere weeks to live. Keeping Nai-Nai in the dark, the family gathers to honor her under the guise of an impromptu wedding, uniting scattered family members. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. Director Lulu Wang depicts both the way we perform family and the way we live it, weaving a richly moving story about how to forestall a family crisis with a practical lie.
“Bittersweet and maturely witty, writer-director Lulu Wang’s Chinese-American family comedy THE FAREWELL beats with an immigrant’s split heart. Featuring a thoughtful, star-making dramatic turn from CRAZY RICH ASIANS scene-stealer Awkwafina.” —Tomris Laffly, Time Out
“One of the best performances of Sundance 2019… As someone who recently said goodbye to a grandparent, the things this film says about how love transcends language and location struck me as powerfully true.” —Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com
“The ensemble all do excellent work as the fragile family members acting out and not knowing what to do, or how to manage their inner turmoil. It's all intuitively handled by Wang, who nails the chaos and unspoken intimacy of relatives bonding over shared sorrow.” —Katherine McLaughlin, The List
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