The Farewell

The Farewell is a comedy-drama starring Golden Globe winner, Awkwafina as Billi, a young working woman who is very close to her grandmother, Nai Nai. When she and her family find out Dtheir beloved matriarch, Nai Nai, only has a short time to live, they return to China under the façade of a wedding, to see her one last time and say goodbye, unbeknownst to Nai Nai herself.

I thought that the plot was easy to follow and incredibly relatable. It was interesting to see traditional Chinese customs on screen that I wouldn’t normally have known about without having seen this movie.

The script was a bit dry but the acting made up for a lot of it. Awkwafina, who is more known for her comedic chops, gave an unexpectedly great dramatic performance. She deserved the Golden Globe but not in the comedy category. Shuzhen Zhao who plays Nai Nai was actually the funniest part of this film. She reminded me of my own grandparents with her lack of filter and love of her family.

This movie was promoted as a comedy but to me was more of a drama. The comedy wasn’t my cup of tea per se; it was more of a subtle, dry humor. So with that being said, if you are into that style of comedy, then I think this film is worth checking out.