The Farewell

The Farewell follows Awkwafina’s Billi as she and her various family members return to China to spend time with their dying matriarch (Shuzhen Zhou’s Nai Nai), with the twist being that Nai Nai is actually dying and her brood has collectively decided not to tell her of her fatal condition. It’s an intriguing premise that is, for the most part, employed to less-than-engrossing effect by writer/director Lulu Wang, as the filmmaker delivers an often excessively subdued drama that contains few wholeheartedly compelling or emotional sequences – with the somewhat arms-length feel compounded by an overly deliberate pace and distressingly meandering narrative. (In terms of the latter, The Farewell‘s abundance of padded-out sequences pave the way for a midsection that seriously drags.) The picture’s failure is especially disappointing given its proliferation of above-average performances, although Wang’s odd reluctance to embrace the storyline’s more overtly heartwrenching elements contributes to the underwhelming vibe. (There is, for example, a stirring sequence in which Billi tearfully reflects on her childhood and yet, generally speaking, such moments are virtually non-existent here.) The end result is an almost passible endeavor that could (and should) have been so much better, which is a shame, certainly, given that Awkwafina delivers a standout turn of which one wouldn’t naturally have assumed she was capable.

** out of ****

2 Comments

  1. I saw the film and agree with Nusair’s assessment. The film definitely dragged; and I, for one, got very tired of looking at Billi’s unchanging sad-sack face. Too many critics now feel compelled to overate “sensitive” films. I’m glad Rotten Tomatoes has at least one critic unafraid to be frank.

  2. After reading the multiple RAVE reviews for this movie, I viewed it with the highest of expectations. Everybody said it was this great tear-jerker — bring the kleenex, they said. I couldn’t wait to see it, and I really wanted it to be good. I was extremely disappointed. It was slow moving, sort of boring at times, and it never captured me and pulled me in at any point. I kept waiting for a moving moment. I never felt like crying, because they never created any sad moments to grab onto.. not even at the end. I’m just being honest — this movie that I wanted to enjoy so much never did a thing for me.

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