Review of The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang

The Farewell is one of those movies I’ve always known about ever since it came out. The first time I watched the movie it took me a hot minute to see it, as I was a broke college student back then and didn’t have a ton of money to go out and spend a ton of money on the movies.

They were expensive back then, on a limited budget, and are even more expensive now, so I kind of had to pick and choose my battles at times. I did end up watching this in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time, as the world was shut down and no one knew what to do with themselves.

Recently, I decided to rewatch it again out of impulse.

I had opened up my Netflix account that day and say that it was a movie that had literally been added that day, and not even thinking about it, I decided to press play and see what I could spot on the second time watching this movie. And man, every time I watch this movie I can now confirm it hits hard.

Let’s get into the review!

Bili discovers her grandmother in China has cancer, and has to keep it a secret from her.

Our main character in The Farewell is Bili, who isn’t exactly the ideal daughter. The kid to Chinese American immigrants, she’s pursuing a career as a writer, but really hasn’t had any success with it so far.

At the beginning of the movie, she receives a rejection from the Guggenheim, but things are about to get worse. She goes home one day and her parents reveal to her that her Nai Nai, or grandmother, has cancer and is going to die in the next couple of months.

Her parents don’t want Bili going with them back to China, as everyone wants to keep it a secret from Nai Nai. They’ve told Nai Nai their doctor didn’t find anything, and the family arranges a wedding for Bili’s cousin from Japan as an excuse for the family to gather.

However, despite her parents adamantly telling Bili not to go with them, she flies by herself to Changchun, and shows up as the family is eating dinner. Bili finds it difficult to hide her emotions, and clashes with her parents and family over the fact they want to keep the diagnosis a secret.

As it turns out, Bili already has some trauma with this, as her grandfather went through the same thing. One night, her uncle makes a statement that it makes the illness the family’s burden, and not Nai Nai’s, which is such a Chinese mentality.

It’s through this that Nai Nai lied to her own husband about his illness before he died. The wedding happens, and her cousin and uncle start crying throughout it. Nai Nai still doesn’t suspect anything. Bili starts actively helping, and even aids in changing the medical results so Nai Nai won’t know the truth.

After the fact, Bili reveals to Nai Nai the Guggenheim rejection, and Nai Nai tells her not to stop. She gives her this piece of advice: it isn’t about the achievements, but instead the process.

After this, Bili keeps up the pretense, and the family goes back home to their respective countries. The ending of the movie reveals that Nai Nai’s character’s inspiration is still alive six years later, and still has no idea about the fact she has cancer.

Overall Thoughts

The plot of The Farewell is pretty straightforward throughout, but it has such an impact. There are many poetic moments scattered throughout the movie, and the themes, whether you’re Chinese, Asian American, or something else, are relevant for a lot of people in other places (even if the cultural context here is Chinese).

That said, this is one of those movies I suggest everyone watch at least once for sure. It’s just so gorgeous and all about the journey.

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