IMDb plot summary: A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Directed by Lulu Wang. Starring Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, X Mayo, and Tzi Ma.
There are some films that are moving simply because they are warm and quiet and loving. They don't ask us to make big moral judgments about our characters, just to be there living in the world with them. This movie, somewhat to my surprised, turns out to be one of those. I thought there would be more discussion and debate of the ethics of keeping the grandmother's diagnosis from her, but that is only touched on a handful of times. Much more frequent is the look at how family can splinter and come back together, how people who feel like failures can be built back up by the right kind of support, and how to be bold even when facing the unknown. It's really beautifully written and acted, with special nods to Awkwafina and Zhao Shu-zhen in the two lead roles. They create characters I feel like I know deeply, even in just a short hour and a half. A lovely film.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Farewell > The Lady from Shanghai
The Farewell > Victor/Victoria (1982)
The Farewell < A Little Princess (1995)
The Farewell < Colossal
The Farewell > The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Farewell > Romeo and Juliet (1968)
The Farewell > Split
The Farewell > Brooklyn
The Farewell > The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
The Farewell > The Shawshank Redemption
The Farewell > Big Trouble in Little China
The Farewell < The Invisible Man (1933)
Final spot: #597 out of 3178, or 81%.
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