The Farewell
Movie, 2019, The 2010s, Set in Changchun
The Farewell is #18 of 37 in release order and #18 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family's decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.
The Farewell recap
The Farewell (2019) follows Billi, a Chinese American writer whose family hides her grandmother's terminal cancer diagnosis from the grandmother herself. Lulu Wang writes and directs, drawing on her own family's story. Billi Wang (Awkwafina) learns that her Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) in Changchun has months to live, and that the relatives have doctored her test results so she believes she is fine. A hurried wedding for Billi's cousin Hao Hao, who lives in Japan, gives the scattered family an excuse to gather. Billi's parents, Haiyan (Tzi Ma) and Jian (Diana Lin), tell her to stay home because she cannot hide her feelings, but she flies out anyway. She argues that Nai Nai has a right to know, while her uncle Haibin says the family carries the burden for her, and Billi learns Nai Nai once kept the same secret from her own dying husband. The film stands alone.
The Farewell ending explained
The Farewell ends with Billi keeping the secret. After the wedding banquet, where Haibin and Hao Hao both break down without giving it away, Billi has the hospital report altered to show a clean result. Nai Nai gives her a red envelope of money and tells her not to dwell on her setbacks. The family leaves for America and Japan, Billi weeping in the taxi as Nai Nai waves. A title card says that six years after her diagnosis, Wang's real grandmother is still alive, and Billi, back in New York, lets out the loud breathing shout Nai Nai taught her.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Farewell has no post-credits scene, though footage of Wang's real grandmother appears at the end.
Where to watch The Farewell
The Farewell isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 97%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Midsommar, before The Lighthouse.
- Chronological order: after Midsommar, before The Lighthouse.
Cast
- Awkwafina as Billi
- Zhao Shuzhen as Nai Nai
- Hong Lu as Little Nai Nai
- Hong Lin as Doctor Wu
- Tzi Ma as Haiyan
- Lin Xiao Jie as Lu Jian
- Yang Xuejian as Mr. Li
- Becca Khalil as Shirley
- Jiang Yongbo as Uncle Haibin
- Chen Han as Hao Hao
- Aoi Mizuhara as Aiko
- Li Xiang as Aunty Ling
Directed by Lulu Wang.