The Farewell

What follows is a series of hackneyed scenes about the different interpersonal relationships within the family, centering on the heroine's bond with her grandmother.

The Farewell is a comedy of warmth and bracing honesty. Simply put, it's one of the best films of the year.

You'll be spewing with tears before the first act is done.

Wang's family story is modestly affecting and deserves an audience, but if it does prompt thoughts about weighing up the importance of emotional truth, they mainly come afterwards.

Panic and self-doubt are at the heart of [the] movie...

The film could have had wit, attitude, poignancy, style - or any single one of the four. Instead it slithers along, shallow and soapy.

It's endearing and sad, but Wang's approach has a rather optimistic tone that serves perfectly with a fantastic cast. [Full review in Spanish].

A poignant look at cultural identity and its place in modern society.

The Farewell may be a difficult sit for anyone who has lost a loved one, but it's a worthwhile one as it keenly captures the glorious awfulness and fabulous ridiculousness of family.

What The Farewell isolates so incisively is a sense of cultural melancholia specific to the immigrant experience, a mourning for something lost in the process of existing between worlds.