Back to trending
The Farewell

The Farewell

Comedy · Drama · 2019

A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family's decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.

Movie details

The Farewell

“Based on an actual lie.”

2019 Comedy · Drama 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family's decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Farewell?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Hannah and Her Sisters

Hannah and Her Sisters

Comedy · 1986

Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

Miss You Already

Miss You Already

Comedy · 2015

The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill.

Another Year

Another Year

Drama · 2010

During a year, a very content couple approaching retirement are visited by friends and family less happy with their lives.

Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral

Comedy · 2007

A myriad of outrageous calamities befalls an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets when the family's patriarch dies an unexpected death.

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine

Comedy · 2006

A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.

Black or White

Black or White

Drama · 2015

A grieving widower is drawn into a custody battle over his granddaughter, whom he helped raise her entire life.

Mr. Church

Mr. Church

Drama · 2016

A unique friendship develops when a little girl and her dying mother inherit a cook - Mr. Church. What begins as an arrangement that should only last six months, instead spans fifteen years.

Starving in Suburbia

Starving in Suburbia

Drama · 2014

When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?

A Real Pain

A Real Pain

Comedy · 2024

Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

Pieces of April

Pieces of April

Comedy · 2003

Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lulu Wang

Written by

Lulu Wang

Awkwafina

Awkwafina

Billi

Zhao Shuzhen

Zhao Shuzhen

Nai Nai

H

Hong Lu

Little Nai Nai

H

Hong Lin

Doctor Wu

Tzi Ma

Tzi Ma

Haiyan

Diana Lin Xiaojie

Diana Lin Xiaojie

Lu Jian

Y

Yang Xuejian

Mr. Li

Court is in session

Put The Farewell on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.