The Farewell (2019)
Stars: Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, X Mayo
Runtime: 100 minutes
Synopsis: A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Performances: 4/5
Screenplay: 3/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 4/5
Score/Soundtrack: 4/5
Verdict: Based on real events experienced by writer/director Lulu Wang, "The Farewell", with a 99% Rotten Tomato score and a Metascore rating of 89, is possibly one of the best received movies of the year.
The film follows Billi, played by a great Awkwafina in her first ever dramatic role, as she and her family travel to China to spend some time with her dying grandmother, who is kept in the dark about her condition and thinks that the family is back only to attend a wedding.
Truth be told, I quite enjoyed the film, but didn't fall in love with it as much as most people did. From a technical level, its cinematography, score and acting were all pretty well-handled. It also tackles the interesting debate of whether it's ethical or not to lie to a patient with a terminal disease about their condition, and both sides of the argument are presented in a rational manner that will most definitely spark a conversation about the subject. What I didn't feel, however, is emotional investment in the story told or the insight about Chinese culture I was expecting to get. Most of its second and third acts just revolve around the same conversations being had over and over again, only scratching the surface of the very emotionally-heavy narrative it could've been.
Since this is a very personal story, I still strongly recommend checking out "The Farewell" as it could resonate with audiences in a different way than it did to me. I'm clearly in the minority here so don't take my word for it and give it a watch anyway.
The film follows Billi, played by a great Awkwafina in her first ever dramatic role, as she and her family travel to China to spend some time with her dying grandmother, who is kept in the dark about her condition and thinks that the family is back only to attend a wedding.
Truth be told, I quite enjoyed the film, but didn't fall in love with it as much as most people did. From a technical level, its cinematography, score and acting were all pretty well-handled. It also tackles the interesting debate of whether it's ethical or not to lie to a patient with a terminal disease about their condition, and both sides of the argument are presented in a rational manner that will most definitely spark a conversation about the subject. What I didn't feel, however, is emotional investment in the story told or the insight about Chinese culture I was expecting to get. Most of its second and third acts just revolve around the same conversations being had over and over again, only scratching the surface of the very emotionally-heavy narrative it could've been.
Since this is a very personal story, I still strongly recommend checking out "The Farewell" as it could resonate with audiences in a different way than it did to me. I'm clearly in the minority here so don't take my word for it and give it a watch anyway.
FINAL GRADE: 6/10
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