The Farewell (2019 film)

The Farewell is a 2019 American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Lulu Wang. It stars Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, and Zhao Shuzhen. The film follows a Chinese American woman named Billi, who learns her grandmother (referred to as Nai Nai) has only a short while left to live. Wishing to see Nai Nai before she dies but also not wanting to reveal her fatal illness to her, Billi's family uses an impromptu wedding as a pretense to gather in their hometown. Throughout the preparation for the wedding, Billi struggles with conflicted feelings about her family's deception and whether she should reveal the truth to Nai Nai.

The film is based in part on director Wang's life experiences, which she first publicly discussed as part of her radio story "What You Don't Know", which appeared as part of an episode of This American Life.

The Farewell premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019 and was theatrically released in the United States on July 12 by A24. It received widespread acclaim from critics, with particular praise for Wang's screenplay and the performances of Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress, with Awkwafina winning for the latter. The Farewell has dialogue in both English and Mandarin Chinese.