The Long Goodbye

As I look back on the year 2019, one story I couldn’t help but notice that was being pushed in the entertainment news media was the meteoric rise of one Nora Lum, aka “Awkwafina”. This self-made rapper turned actress from New York starred in a half dozen movies within the last three years, and was promoted as a comedic genius of sorts, even being named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year and Time Magazine’s 100 Influential People. I’ve seen some of her work, and while she is funny at times, she won’t be making anyone forget about the likes of George Carlin or Robin Williams any time soon. But then she took a serious turn and starred in an independent drama, and surprise, she can act, too. It’s a tale of culture clash, family matters, and the universal heartbreak of losing a loved one. The movie in question is “The Farewell”.

Written and directed by Lulu Wang, “The Farewell” tells the story of Billi Wang (Nora Lum, I refuse to call her by her rapper name), a first generation Chinese-American living in New York. She learns that her grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and only has three months to live. Rather than just tell the grandmother about the illness, the Wang family decides to hide the truth from her instead, fearing that learning about the cancer will only cause her to die quicker. The family holds a pretend wedding between Billi’s cousin and his girlfriend, as an excuse for the family to get together one last time for the grandmother’s sake. Not fully understanding this cultural custom, Billi is conflicted about telling her grandmother the truth, which the family forbids her to do.

I would categorize this movie as “arthouse with a little''a``.'' By comparison, I referred to Netflix’s “Roma” as being “arthouse with a capital “A``'', meaning that it was too artsy-fartsy to be something casually watched by the average movie fan. You must truly be in an arthouse movie watching mood or a film critic in order to get any enjoyment out of it. “The Farewell” is artsy in its execution from time to time, but not to the point that it will alienate everyone who watches it. The average movie watcher can give it a viewing, but don’t expect any genre thrills or excitement, as this is a slice of life style drama.

First and foremost, Nora Lum is indeed believable in a serious role. She comes across as very down to Earth and relatable. It’s quite a departure from the wacky characters that she usually plays in comedies. She doesn’t get many opportunities to be funny or outgoing, but when she does, she comes across as cute and endearing (her smile is quite infectious). But, while she does prove to have acting chops, this is far from being some kind of “tour de force”, Oscar caliber performance. The rest of the cast who play the Wang family are equally good. Zhao Shuzhen is the standout as Nai Nai, the ailing grandmother. She also comes across as relatable and might even remind you of your own grandmother in some ways based on how she interacts with Billi. Tzi Ma and Diana Lin do well as Billi’s father and mother, who are always at odds with Billi and trying to explain to her what their reasoning behind lying to her grandmother as a Chinese tradition of sorts.

The more arthouse aspects of the movie come mostly from the transitions from one scene to another. Scenes usually begin with a character being in the middle of doing something that we don’t know the context of what’s happening until it’s further explained moments later. Likewise, many scenes are of a few or all of the family members together, and just talking about their lives or customs depending on either generational or cultural divides. It’s kinda like watching a family during a Thanksgiving dinner. Some viewers might find it interesting and relatable (have I used that word enough times yet), others might find it boring. Also, the dialogue is spoken almost entirely in Chinese, so for those of you who hate reading subtitles, this isn’t the movie for you.

In terms of plotline, there’s not much going on, other than the family getting ready to have the wedding party, and then throwing the actual party. There is a subplot about Billi not getting accepted into a writing fellowship, but it’s only mentioned in passing twice later on in the movie. I would have liked to know more about Billi as a character, other than her being the “Americanized” member of her family.

The most polarizing aspect of the movie is easily the family’s decision to not tell the grandmother about her cancer. They are going through great lengths to lie to her, from altering her test results, to telling her doctors to lie to her as well, to throwing this fake wedding party. Again, this is all based on the logic that if the grandmother is aware of her cancer, the fear of the sickness will kill her faster than the cancer itself. Many scenes are devoted to family members explaining this custom to Billi, and no matter how good the intention behind the lie is, it simply won’t make sense to western audiences. Some viewers will no doubt feel that it’s the grandmother’s right to know if her life is about to end, rather than waiting to tell her when she’s on her deathbed, as many of the family members plan to do, or have done in the past with other relatives. It also seems to be a waste of money to fake a wedding as being an excuse for the whole family to get together. Yes, the intentions are good, but it does seem a bit of an extreme to go through in hopes of the grandmother living a little bit longer.

Overall, I would give “The Farewell” a solid three out of five stars. Lulu Wang made a deeply personal movie, and while it was well made, it’s not something to be casually watched for entertainment purposes, if that’s what you commonly watch movies for. If you happen to be a “Westernized” Asian-American who doesn’t relate or believe in the old fashioned customs of your parents, then this is the movie for you. Otherwise, this is a movie to rent and watch one time out of curiosity, just to see what the big deal is if it’s nominated for any Oscar awards. That concludes this fanpicked review. And remember, when it comes to the media that you consume, but like Indiana Jones, and choose wisely.

Short Version

Pros:

Good performances all around.

Cons:

The cultural decisions may be too controversial to some.

Verdict: *** (three out of five stars).