The Farewell
The farewell is very simple yet it is able to trigger deep emotions in the viewer’s heart. As the title suggests, a family that immigrated from China returns to the homeland to say farewell to their mother who is diagnosed with an illness and will not allow her to live very long. One branch of the family returns from the USA and the 2nd one from Japan. The film does a wonderful job portraying the challenges of any immigrant family anywhere.
The fact of the family happens to be Chinese is incidental to a much larger story being told. Anyone who leaves the country and tries to make a living abroad will be able to recognize the universal theme of the challenges of adjusting and learning to navigate a place one is not fully familiar with. We learn a great deal about how Chinese families are trying to cope with the imminent death of a beloved family member. Without giving too much away, I can reveal that everyone is trying to hide from the mother that she will die and these leads to many comic situations. I highly recommend this film. Once more we are reminded that even simple stories told well and acted out well bring real pleasure.