The Farewell plot
"Based on an actual lie."
Chinese-American Billi returns to China to see her terminally ill grandmother one last time. However, the cancer diagnosis is hidden from the matriarch by the family. So an excuse is made so that Grandma's family gathering doesn't stand out too much, in the form of Billi's cousin's hastily planned wedding.
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Actors and actresses
Billi
Nai Nai
Haiyan
Jian
Little Nai Nai
Haibin
Haohao
Aiko
Gu Gu
Mr. Li
Reviews & comments
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
I had been looking forward to this The farewell for a while. Great film by Lulu Wang that follows an old granny who is terminally unbeknownst to her. The family gathers to enjoy each other's company one last time. A special cultural custom and even a bit incomprehensible to us Westerners, but no less intriguing for that. Still, I keep asking myself whether the old Nai Nai really wasn't aware that something was amiss. She knows the Chinese customs and applied them to her late husband herself...
Nice modest role by Awkwafina (of whom I had never heard of as a music layman and Ocean's 8 and the last Jumanji are not directly on my list of priorities), but who stood out the most is the amiable and plucky - but not on her shut up - Nai Nai (played by Hong Lu). But the other renditions were good too. Despite the theme of a terminally ill, the film also touches on a number of other themes such as Chinese immigration, the economic metamorphosis of Chinese cities, the petty annoyances and jealousy between family members, etc ...
But above all, the charged theme, the atmosphere is light-hearted and even humorous. The wedding, in particular, contains some very fine scenes. Despite the fact that many have not seen each other for a long time and they always balance between two different cultures, happiness and unhappiness ensure that the family remains close. The farewell is a fine family portrait and a film that will be in my top 10 of 2019. Beautiful!
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13430 messages
- 11264 votes
Good film about a woman who returns to her native country because her grandmother does not have long to live. A film about family and Chinese culture. Reasonably understated and sometimes a bit boring, but ultimately beautiful. Sentiment is well avoided and also a few wry, but at the same time funny moments.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31272 messages
- 5512 votes
The premise of the film is the difference between the Eastern and Western way of dealing with someone who is dying. Despite all the differences within the family, they do have a love for the grandmother in common. Because they actually all keep up appearances, with good intentions, you get an interesting mix of humor and drama with a layer of tension over it.
It is also not said what the best way is: telling and being honest with the grandmother or playing the game and thereby ensuring a better goodbye. In the end, as a viewer, you can also interpret that the grandmother knew all too well, because she had already done it to grandfather herself. As a result, honesty and appearance come together nicely, without it having to be really pronounced.
Visually it's not that special, but the atmosphere remains consistently good and the characters are quite captivating. A wonderful film with its heart in the right place, drama without being dramatic, humor without slapstick.
Translated from Dutch · View originalLatest News
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