The Farewell
Might contain spoilers.
What an absolute masterpiece. Beautiful, rich, melancholy. Indeed, a deep vein of sadness runs through it, beyond just the immediate and obvious. The virtuoso direction treads the fine line between tragedy and comedy with ease. The score is perfect and fantastic.
Billi’s re-introduction to China reminded me of returning to India all those years ago, even though that was after only a year abroad. It also constantly reminded me of how, in most people’s minds, ‘Asian’ and ‘South Asian’ are two completely disjoint identities.
The actors are all charming. I’m ready to believe Aoi Mizuhara didn’t speak a word of anything but Japanese and couldn’t communicate with anyone on set, thanks to the authenticity of her performance.[1]
The film raises profound questions about life in general and family in particular. For my part, I can see the sense in what Haibin says about emotional burdens and responsibility, but I disagree.
- She’s fluent in Mandarin and Japanese, apparently.↩