A24 has released the first trailer for the critically acclaimed dramaThe Farewell. Written and directed byLulu Wang, the film is based on “an actual lie,” as Wang has fictionalized an account from her own life.Awkwafinastars as a young Chinese-born, U.S.-raised woman who discovers that her grandmother—who lives in China with her extended family—is dying of cancer. But instead of telling the grandmother she’s dying, the family has decided to keep it a secret, ensuring her happiness until her death. Under the pretense of a wedding for the young woman’s cousin, the family assembles in China for one last goodbye to a grandmother who thinks it’s a celebration, and Awkwafina’s notoriously emotional character struggles to contain her sadness.
The Farewelldebuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was a huge hit. I was able to catch the movie myself, and it’s a tremendously well-crafted, emotional film. Awkwafina more than proves herself capable of not only leading a film all her own, but nailing dramatic beats. And Wang, man. She’s a filmmaker to watch out for.
Check out the firstThe Farewelltrailer and poster below andclick hereto read Matt’s review from Sundance. The film also starsTzi Ma,Diana Lin,Zhao Shuzhen,Lu Hong, andJiang Yongbo.The Farewellopens in theaters on July 12th.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Farewell:
In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.
