The Farewell (2019)
- Movies With Morty
- Sep 20, 2019
- 3 min read
My favourite film of 2019 thus far.
The Farewell tells the tale of Shuzhen Zhao character Nai Nai, the family grandmother/mother, who find out she is battling Stage 4 cancer. Instead of telling her the family decide to keep it from her and throw a wedding instead so the whole family can be united and be together with her for one final time. Written and Directed
, the story is one of the most human provoking and touching films I have ever witnessed not just on a big screen but also in my entire movie-going life. It spoke to me on so many human levels that it hit me in places I never thought a film could and it did just that. It had the perfect balance of comedy and drama to the point it all just felt natural like I too was part of their family and I was going through the heartache of keeping this secret from their very loveable grandmother and I felt guilty, I genuinely wanted to shout at the screen to tell her.
The reason why I found this film so emotionally attaching was I felt a personal connection. The film evolves around the family and how they haven't seen each other in years and how some of them don't entirely get along, as shown in this film when they have a quarrel over China Vs America as Billi's character (played by Crazy Rich Asians, Awkwafina), live in America and don't see the family as they went to America for a better life. Now the family is back together they don't entirely know how to interact with each other and struggle with their feelings. However when they are within the same room as Nai Nai they all instantly get along and they all have a heartwarming bond. Thus showing that Nai Nai is the glue that holds the family together and without her the family will fall apart.
Now going back to the original point of how this all felt personal to me was that when my grandmother wasn't well with bowl cancer she too was the glue that kept our family together. Everyone would see her and she'd always make it a special time when we were in her company by making food and having a laugh. When she passed the family grew apart and since don't have the best of contact anymore which proves my point of how grandmother's are the glue that holds families together.
Another subject I adored about this film is how it's showing Chinese culture to a worldwide audience on a massive screen. It's educating you how chinese familiy's live and how they all come together in times of danger. I know most family's do that whatever the ethnicity but with Chinese familes its somewhat of a tradition to not tell the family member who has cancer that they have cancer and like they say in the film, "It's not the cancer what kills people, it's the fear". That line stuck with me from the moment it was said right up until now as I write this review. It's a rather striking and thought-provoking line that is so true. The human brain goes into meltdown as soon as bad information is conveyed and we start to panick, so I totally understand and agree with this line.
The film is to me a masterpiece, not just in the East/Asian film market, but also of this decade. Seriously this film had me hooked from the moment it hit that cinema screen to the moment it all ended and I was a teary mess in my chair as everyone (maybe 5 people tops) walked out of the screen. It has the most perfect pace I totally forgot where I was as I was so sucked into this emotionally impacting story that Lulu Wang has created I was craving more. It ends perfectly and also has some of the most beautifully shot cinematography i've ever witness from a film. It all just felt so natural and life-like.
To conclude this film is a masterpeice and if you live in the UK I urge you to see this film whilst it has a cinema release. You won't be dissapointed in the slightest. As long as you can keep up with the Chinese subtitles you'll have one of the best cinema experiences of your entire life and you'll be craving to go and see it again and again. Thank you Lulu Wang for creating this film, I am and will be forever grateful.
Rating- 5/5
Review Written By- Nathan Mort
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