The Farewell is directed by Beijing director, Lulu Wang, and tells the story of a wedding to take place as an effort for family members to see the grandmother of the family one last time. The film’s stars are both Chinese-American and Chinese actors and the film is by far one of the most empathetic looks at Chinese values compared to any other film I have watched. The distinction between Western and Eastern values meets its battlefront in how we deal with death. Whereas western values emphasize the importance of seeing your life as something distinct among your family members (in terms of life, love, career, etc.), the film portrays an eastern perspective which is that you are part of something far greater. It’s expressed in how the family interacts with one another, talks to one another, and lastly confronts the issue of telling the grandmother she has cancer.

Where films in the past have very distinctly portrayed Asian characters as villainous and emotionless, this film confronts why that is and perhaps how underneath our values, there are more common threads between us than we think. The film ends incredibly beautifully, has moments of incredible hilarity (such as the constant conversation between whether China or the US is better), and is a great gateway into enjoying other films with these actors and themes.