Movies are made from a collection of elements put together. There’s the screenplay, the acting, the set design, the score, the lighting, the filming, and a million other little things no one ever thinks about. But for a movie to reach inside and grip your heart, all the pieces have to fall into the perfect place. 

Acting is off, you’re screwed. 

Score is off, sparking the wrong emotion, you’re screwed. 

Writing is off, you’re screwed.

Filming is too jarring, pulling you out of the film, you’re screwed. 

Everything was just right for The Farewell.

For such a little film, where everything rides on the subtle moments, The Farewell created a beautiful window into the Chinese culture and the idea of taking responsibility for someone’s emotional health. 

Like wow. I’m still processing what I just watched. From an entertainment perspective, I was very entertained, but I was also left with a massive chunk of information to process. How did they even do it? I never felt preached to or forced to listen to drawn out exposition. And somehow, it was still hilarious, forcing me to laugh into my pillow. 

Okay…. Let’s see if I can put into words everything that I’m feeling. 

First, the movie is split between English and Chinese making it confusing on whether it’s really a foriegn film or not. But, in the back and forth between the two languages, you can see the struggles of a Chinese American coming back home. The dialogue was concise and slow enough to be able to get into the movie without missing anything while reading the subtitles. Honestly, it was a breeze compared to some films I’ve watched. 

Second, the movie is an accurate look into the Chinese family culture, even down to the baby picture in the bathroom - a fact my friend who lived in China for 6 years has confirmed. She even admitted to seeing the same baby picture in a bathroom… hmmmmm… curious things here. And being a person who loves to see how other people live, this was the first time I’ve gotten a decent look into the Chinese culture. Guess what, it’s not so different from other cultures. My Cuban husband found the grandmother to be almost like his own. 

Third, I’m the first person to complain about the point of the in-between moments. Those slow things where a character is shown staring off into space. Really. They seem almost pointless to me. Except for one of them, every slow, breathing moment was so important. I was more than connected to the film, making me sit right in the emotions with the characters. They were also paired perfectly with the right score giving me the exact queues for why we were staring off into space. 

Which leads me to the same theme… simple and concise can be just as powerful as trying to be overly artful. Just because you feel that it’s in their face obvious does not mean the movie watcher gets what’s you’re trying to get across. There are always three levels to writing. The very obvious, the middle of the road, and the stuff that only the most observant people will notice. The Farewell was very clear in all three. I think I caught each moment. I hope that I caught each moment.

I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I get so caught up in a movie that I need to be spoon fed every last detail. I’m always patting myself on the back when I get the small stuff. 

So my friends… I hope I’ve given you enough of a reason to watch The Farewell. It was a beautiful surprise that I’m already wanting to rewatch. Awkwafina was a perfect choice to play Billie and I was surprised since her background is comedy. I mean, she did a great job as the sassy best friend in Crazy Rich Asians but The Farewell was a whole different beast. Again, if casting is off, the whole movie can be lost as well.

Happy Watching

Love Kait