The Farewell

"Based on an actual lie."

2019 1h 40m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🔥

97%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 1,593🍅97%Rotten Tomatoes●89Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 72,726

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Based on an actual lie.”

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Cast

Awkwafina
Billi
Zhao Shuzhen
Nai Nai
Hong Lu
Little Nai Nai
Hong Lin
Doctor Wu
Tzi Ma
Haiyan
Lin Xiao Jie
Lu Jian
Yang Xuejian
Mr. Li
Becca Khalil
Shirley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lulu Wang
Writers: Lulu Wang
Languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English
Countries: China, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lulu Wang, shot by Anna Franquesa Solano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex Weston. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Taylor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lulu Wang directs. Anna Franquesa Solano behind the camera. Alex Weston scores. Michael Taylor cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 7.7× over at the box office.
3Released 7 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English.
5International production across 2 countries: China, United States of America.
6Directed by Lulu Wang, shot by Anna Franquesa Solano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Alex Weston. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Michael Taylor shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen and Hong Lu carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Based on an actual lie.".
11IMDB entry: tt8637428 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 17 themes, including "grandparent grandchild relationship", "family relationships", "wedding", "relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Anna Franquesa Solano
Original score: Alex Weston
Editing: Michael Taylor
Production design: Lee Yong-ok
Costume design: Athena Wang
Makeup / hair: Jackie Zbuska
VFX supervisor: Asaf Yeger
Sound: Gene Park
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $23,076,657
Return: 769% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Farewell (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 89/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 72,726 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award37 wins & 194 nominations total

Also by

Lulu Wang

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Sheldon Nylander2019-11-13
★ 8/10
When a Chinese family finds out that the family’s matriarch is dying of lung cancer, complications arise. In Chinese culture, there is a saying that when you get cancer, you die. This actually boils down to the belief that it’s not the cancer that leads to the person’s death, but rather the fear of dying. As such, the family orchestrates an elaborate ruse to get everyone together for a wedding, but in reality the gathering is for everyone to be able to say goodbye to the grandmother without actually letting her know the truth. It’s a fascinating premise and based on a true story (or based on an actual lie, as the film puts it). Showing aspects of Chinese culture we rarely get to see, the film takes us on a journey to China as we see modern life and urban development. How accurate it really is, I can’t attest to, and there are times that it feels like there should be more or that something is more complex and we’re being given the fortune cookie version, so to speak. The film does steer clear of politics, so that is not a factor here. This is a beautiful film not just through visual aesthetics but also on a character level. We see how each character faces the impending death of the grandmother differently, such as the daughter-in-law being very matter of fact about it while her husband (the grandmother’s son) is being torn up inside, all while the wise and experienced grandmother continues to dispense advice, oblivious to her diagnosis. It details the variety of relationships we can develop in our life as no two relationships are the same, but they all still love each other despite some distance between certain relatives. There’s something that, despite the comedic premise (it’s sort of a comedy that’s not particularly funny), is very grounded and very real. I couldn’t help but see some of my own relationships reflected on the screen. Beautiful, heartbreaking, and at the same time somewhat hopeful, “The Farewell” comes highly recommended.
Manuel São Bento2020-02-05
★ 8/10
If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Lulu Wang shares an emotional part of her personal life by delivering a beautiful, heartfelt story about her grandmother. Even though The Farewell sticks the landing perfectly, not all of the second act’s storylines captivated me, especially the whole wedding narrative. However, Awkwafina offers a fantastic performance, as well as the rest of the cast. Alex Weston’s score elevates a lot of moments, and the drama-comedy balance is on-point. Rating: B+
Peter McGinn2021-05-12
★ 8/10
This movie is described as a comedy-drama and it is. But I didn’t have many laugh out loud moments. The humor is situational mainly: the writers work up to those moments that make you smile, either because you remember a similar moment in your life, or else because you can’t imagine a similar moment. As happens so often, the story is based on real events. I saw where one review title said it is heartbreaking, but I didn’t see that at all. The movie is fairly uplifting in that it shows the strengths of a family that values all of its members, particularly the very old, whose wisdom and experience aren’t as well received in many American families. When I think about it, nothing definitive seems to happen in the film: no crisis, no climax of action, but this lack of great drama didn’t detract from enjoying the movie. It is all about the journey, not the destination. Enjoy the trip.