“The Farewell” Looks at Chinese Family Culture from a Western Perspective
by Nick Leffel
Director Lulu Wang puts audiences on an emotional rollercoaster of moral questions with her latest film “The Farewell.” The plot follows Billi, played by the talented Awkwafina which you may remember from 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” a young Chinese-American millennial struggling to deal with a severe family issue involving her grandmother’s diagnosis with terminal lung cancer. The entire family decides to gather together for a week at the grandmother’s tiny flat in China.
In the film, it’s been around 25 years since all of the family members have been together in China at once. Since then, some of the family members have moved to Japan, others (Like Billi) to the United States, and some have remained in China. As we learn throughout the movie, the Chinese culture, like many other cultures, is a very traditional one. This brings a challenge to the family since everyone has been geographically separated for quite some time and over that time, family members have strayed away from Chinese traditions and beliefs to varying extents. That being said, as we get to know Billi as a main character, we see her as being the most polarized and Americanized member of the family which brings us to the main conflict of the film.
Yes, the expected death of any loved one is unbearable to all involved and is as well unbearable for the one who is dying. In Chinese culture, traditionally the family is seen as having such a high responsibility for the dying family member that nobody will inform that member of their fate. Therefore, the dying member can live out the rest of their life in blissful peace whereas the other members take on the struggle of holding back their upfront signs of grieving. This is also what Billi must do in the film.
“The Farewell” exhibits a huge struggle that’s relatable on a national level in China and being that it’s an A24 film shown Western audiences, we can feel Billi’s confusion and anxiety between wanting to keep her grandmother in peace and wanting to say one last goodbye. In my opinion, there was no better way to have this cultural struggle made relatable to Western audiences than to have the main character be of millenial age and of Chinese and American nationality. Overall, this was a thought-provoking film and even though it might seem like a very tragic film from what I’ve described, it is actually a very wholesome family oriented story. See “The Farewell” in select theaters near you.
