The Farewell (2019)

It's become common for performers we know for comedy to take a dramatic turn so while Awkwafina first dramatic turn may not be novel, it is truly enjoyable. She does a great job with her character and all her struggles through this lovely, touching, entertaining, and often funny look at the life of a family pulled apart by distance and time and brought together by time's inevitability.

Posthumous director Lulu Wang brings us this personal story, based on her own relationship with her grandmother by keeping it feeling very real. She moves through her story unassumingly, just letting her characters exist and interact with each other. The relationship between Awkwafina's character and her grandmother as well as her relationship with her parents and extended family comes to life easily and naturally by Wang's approach. The whole film feels lived in and honest. Wang appears to be putting it all out there for us and sharing with us something meaningful.

The Farewell is uplifting without being purposefully sentimental and although rather quiet it never drags. It's a lovely piece of film making featuring a star in the making and it's story is truly satisfying.

The Farewell
Starring: Awkwafina,  Tzi Ma, Zhao Shuzhen
Writer/Director: Lula Wang