Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This film is about being an immigrant and dealing with loss. The protagonist is stuck between two different cultural ways of handling a terminal disease. Torn between the two and her love for her grandmother--who appears to also symbolize the warmth of a childhood that is now forever gone, Billi also realizes there is no way of going back, really. I am not Chinese, but this film resonates so much more than being a Chinese American and explores that in-betweenness, where one is forever stuck once one leaves a place to live in another. No trip back will be a real return because what is left behind is never the same. The Farewell is a beautifully made film with a seemingly simple story. When it finishes, you may not think it hit you with a bang, but it does stay with you for a longtime and haunt you with its humaneness, little moments, and the phenomenal soundtrack that captures the affect of the film so well. The Farewell is an excellent example of how a story is told makes all the difference. I saw some people marked the film as boring. If you are into fast-paced Hollywood films and need to be entertained at all times, yes this may not be the film for you. However, taste is socially constructed, and that judgment might say more about you than about the film. The Farewell is a film made with much warmth, gentleness, and an excellent sense of humor. I highly recommend it.