#7: The Farewell, a film by Lulu Wang
This week I read the subtitles on a movie screen and was delighted and moved by what I read. I didn't make any notable progress on much else. Here we go...
The Farewell, a film written and directed by Lulu Wang
My wife and I had a movie date night this week on a Tuesday night (AMC cheap seats, baby) and we saw The Farewell. I want to encourage you to see this movie but please, PLEASE DON'T watch the trailer beforehand. I hope to give you enough information in this letter that you feel encouraged to see it, but I want you to see the characters and hear the jokes for the first time in the theater and not in a trailer.
The movie is about the real-life experience that writer/director Lulu Wang, who is a Chinese American, had with her family when she traveled back to China for her cousin's "wedding." I'm putting wedding in quotes because that is only the cover for what really brought her back. The real reason seems harmless enough, but again, I'd prefer you know as little as possible. It's enough to say that the entire family is together again in China after many years of being apart. The resulting tension, humor, grief, and heart took us on an emotional journey. I enjoyed this film from beginning to end.
The Chinese family dynamics are what make the movie special and while the family is Chinese, non-Chinese people will also relate in some ways to the situation. The immigrant experience and how immigrants fall on a spectrum of being "from" two very different places is a theme of the movie. Lying and when it's OK to lie, the truth and how it can help or harm us...there's a lot of good stuff going on in this film which I don't normally think about or get exposed to.
If you want to see a movie that is clever, sweet, and unique yet familiar, go see this. Honestly, if I ever tried to make a movie, this is what I hope mine would look and feel like. It is rated PG, there is nothing offensive, which means I can recommend this movie to my mom (go see it mom! But with girlfriends, not with dad). A few things to note: Most of the film is in Chinese with English subtitles, so be aware of that going in. It is a small, slow film with long takes of people talking and most of the acting is done on the face. If you're in the mood for mindless action blockbuster, this isn't your movie.
The best part of this movie going experience (besides being with my wife with our popcorn and soda) was sitting next to a Chinese American who quietly commented all throughout the movie. I loved it! It enhanced the experience for me. I spoke briefly with her afterward and she said everything was spot on and accurate, which is why she prefers to live in America. She works as a consultant to American corporations doing business in China.
That will do it for me this week. I hope you'll go see The Farwell so more movies like this get made. If you do, let me know so we can talk about it!
Thanks for your inbox space,
Kyle