It is easy to make the argument that The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang) is the sister film to 2018’s super successful if somewhat saccharine Crazy Rich Asians. The obvious bridging element is Awkwafina, who was a scene-stealer in Crazy Rich Asians and the morose lead in The Farewell. I think it is an oversimplification to label the films as related due purely to the cast being Asian because that removes the nuances of what this film is asking, What does it mean to be Chinese in an increasingly global society?
The Farewell examines the Chinese diaspora through the lens of Billi (Awkwafina) and her family when they find out that their Grandma Nai Nai, the powerful matriarch of the family, has cancer. The challenge is that Billi and her family have been living in America for 20 plus years and Billi has a much more individualistic philosophy than then traditional Chinese approach.
The film use of subtitles highlights Billi’s lack of mastery of Mandarin, she often struggles to express herself in her native tongue and has to ask people for help to say words further creating a disconnect between herself and her culture.
Billi’s father Haiyan (Tzi Ma) pulls off a masterfully restrained and elegant performance of a dutiful son trying to shoulder the burden of his mothers impending death while dealing with the guilt of living so far away for years.
The issues are not just an East vs West problem. Haiyan’s brother Haibin (Yongbo Jiang) has been living in Japan for decades and is harbouring his own regrets and remorse for leaving his mother behind.
The film is slow and meditative, holding shots to let the moment within the frame sink in rather than having fancy camera work appear as a proxy for action. Even though the film takes its time, it is never boring, due in part to it being deliberate with its pace. It lets moments uncomfortably hang. It knows what it’s doing and it does it well.
There is a constant tension between the family members on what is best for Nai Nai. Should she know? Is it nicer to tell her? Would it be kinder to not tell her? Who should have to deal with the burden of knowledge? All of these questions are confronted using ideologies from their respective new homes. And none of the answers are wrong, they are just all different takes and you can see the validity in all the approaches.
These questions then examine what it means to be Chinese in an increasingly global society where customs change, priorities change, distance and time challenge the bonds of togetherness and identity.
Both The Farewell and Crazy Rich Asians do a great job of putting Asians on-screen and representation is a wonderful thing, but this is where I think the similarities end. Crazy Rich Asians was a fun ride but it was a standard Rom Com, The Farewell is asking some deeper questions other than just putting Asians on screen, it’s asking questions of Chinese identity and what makes you Chinese. And it is one of my favourite films of the year.
Luke McMeeken-Ruscoe
3 September 2019