Movie Review: The Farewell (Cmovie, 2019)

I recently moved back to my hometown to be near my family and am fortunate enough to be able to have lunch with my mom and my 98-year-old grandmother every Thursday. My grandmother has been my biggest fan and supporter my entire life and it’s been great for me to be able to spend more time with her after living far from home for so long.

The Farewell (the Chinese title, 别告诉她, translates to “Don’t tell her”), stars comedienne and rapper, Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Oceans 8), in a drama about a Chinese family trying to spend what time they have left with their dying matriarch without letting her know she is dying. I knew I had to see it, partly because of my own relationship with my grandmother which made the topic even more relatable to me, but also because I was eager to see a Chinese movie that takes place in everyday life as most of the ones I’ve been able to see so far have been much more centered in fantasy (see all my previous movie reviews).

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