A24 has dropped the first trailer and poster for writer and director Lulu Wang’s upcomingThe Farewell, which is headlined byCrazy Rich Asiansbreakout star and comedian Awkwafina. Positioned as an alternative to the bombastic summer fare coming our way in the next couple of months,The Farewellis a heartfelt celebration of familial love and its power to transcend the barriers of language, continents, and generations.
The Farewellwas a big hit at this year’s Sundance, where it had its premiere. The movie will land in theaters on July 12, getting a head start on a jam-packed weekend that will also see the debut ofMen in Black: International, TheShaftrevival and the missing daughter thrillerAmerican Woman.The Farewellis decidedly different, a family drama rooted in the reality of life, death and everything that comes with it.
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.
Chinese people have a saying. When Chinese people get cancer they die. That line sets the tone for Billi’s journey inThe Farewell, which comes from writer and directorLulu Wang. Wang began her career as a filmmaker crafting shorts before moving onto her directorial debut with 2014’s comedy romance dramaPosthumous, which starredThe OA’s Brit Marling andBoardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston.The Farewellis her second full-length directorial feature.
Awkwafina has long been known in comedy circles, with her comedy music videos gaining a strong following on Youtube. She made her big screen feature debut in the 2016 comedy sequelNeighbors 2: Sorority Risingand hasn’t looked back since. She had a featured role in the 2018 rebootOcean’s Eightand was one of the breakouts in the blockbuster hitCrazy Rich Asianslast summer. She’ll next be seen inJumanji 3and is being eyed for a21 Jump Streetspin-off that will center on two female detectives. She is also voicing Courtney inAngry Birds 2.
You can check outThe Farewelltrailer above along with the poster. Both come direct fromA24, which continues making a name for itself as the studio that zigs when everyone else is zagging. If you’re tired of over the top action and eye-blistering special effects this summer, then why not cozy on over toThe Farewell? It seems to be the best alternative to all the noise.
