Screenwriter & Film Director Lulu Wang’s family hastened the scheduling of her cousin’s wedding taking place in Changchun, China so that everyone could gather there from around the world in order to pay their respects to her still vibrant grandmother who had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
It was during that gathering that Wang, who was born and raised in the U.S., had to come to terms with her family’s decision, based on their cultural beliefs, not to disclose the diagnosis to her grandmother so that they, instead of her grandmother, would shoulder the emotional burden of it.
Wang’s recently released movie The Farewell, which was mainly filmed in Changchun and debuted to great acclaim at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, retells this true story.
The movie features U.S. actress, comedienne and rapper Awkwafina (née Nora Lum) in her first starring film role as the Wang inspired character named Billi. She has said:
“When I look at Billi in her perspective and how she deals with such a hard topic, it was very honest to me. You know, Billi is not really a hero in this. It’s like, which reason [i.e. for telling or not telling] is better? You don’t really know.”
According to Wang, people relate to the story on many different levels because of the broader topic that it explores. She explains:
“This is a film about a difference of cultures and a difference of perspectives. But that culture isn’t about East versus West, Eastern versus American. Culture also applies when your family is from Texas but you move to New York City or Miami, or your family is conservative but you’re liberal – that’s a totally different culture. It’s just about different perspectives when you love somebody and you have grown up in the same family but ultimately have different paths in how you view the world.”
During a screening of the movie, Awkwafina asked her own grandmother whether she would want to be told. Her grandmother said that she would want to know.
Wang’s grandmother, who still lives in Changchun, has long outlived the original 3-months-to-live prognosis. Remaining unaware of her diagnosis, she visited the film set there while the movie was being made but does not know the specifics of the film’s story.
Screenwriter & Film Director Lulu Wang discusses her family and making the film (2:25 video):
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