Synopsis
The Farewell follows Billi, a Chinese-American woman torn between cultures when her family discovers her beloved grandmother has terminal cancer but chooses to keep the diagnosis secret. The family arranges a rushed wedding as a pretense to gather one last time, forcing Billi to navigate grief, cultural identity, and moral conflict. Director Lulu Wang crafts a tender, bittersweet portrait of love expressed through silence, sacrifice, and cultural tradition.
Did You Know?
- The film is based on director Lulu Wang's real family story.
- Awkwafina won a Golden Globe for her dramatic performance.
- Most dialogue in the film is spoken in Mandarin.
- Lulu Wang originally shared the story on NPR's This American Life.
- The film was shot on location in Changchun, China.
Iconic Quotes
- The lie is not for her. It's for the family.
- We have a saying: when people get cancer, they die not from the cancer, but from the fear.
- You're American. You think one person's life belongs to themselves.
- In the East, a person's life is part of a whole.
- I just feel like I should be the one to tell her.
