Hey Lovelies,

If you had to tell someone you loved that they were dying, would you? A morbid question to start this review with. However, it is the challenge Awkwafina faces in the critically acclaimed, The Farewell, out today on DVD, Blu-Ray and digitally.

Broke and struggling, writer Billi (Awkwafina) manages to make enough money to get home for one final visit to see her dying grandmother. A woman who doesn’t even know that she is dying. With the news not being shared with her ill Nai Nai, Billi must keep it hidden to prevent her final days from becoming those of sadness.

We have all committed the crime of a little white lie, but when does a lie become too much. In, The Farewell, it shows the fragility of a lie when kept hidden. It shows how much we try to protect those that we love from getting hurt. No one wants to make a scene. No one wants to hurt anyone else. They simply want to save every moment as a good one with those we cherish.

The Farewell proves that in a world where everything is shared – mostly the good stuff – that it is okay actually. Sometimes we don’t have to have something bad happening or shown to us. In the film, this is the news of the grandmother’s cancer. A horrific illness that the family keeps hidden from her to allow her to embrace her life. Something that is refreshing to witness in a script and on-screen.

Written in a beautiful manner, the grief the family is going through is highlighted in a lighter manner than normal. Something that when delving into the background of the film is quite interesting, as the film was inspired by the real-life situation that the writer went through. Taking her pain and making it both heartening, comedic and wholesome is something every viewer will appreciate.

Especially when you see how much care has been given to making Awkwafina’s character’s emotions stand out so much. Awkwafina’s portrayal is a blissful one that shows the many sides to her talents. With a comedic turn in Crazy Rich Asians, she has now given us another side to her skills. Ones that will continue to shine on and off-screen.

The Farewell is a film that is both hard-hitting and beautiful. It shows the ways in which death, family and grief can be portrayed in another manner. There doesn’t have to be the normal tropes death brings, but instead the beauty of life. One that has been well-lived.

5 Stars

Joey X