Stretched across continents, but no less profound and idiosyncratic, the family ties that give life to Lulu Wang’s sophomore feature “The Farewell” are informed by the director’s own anecdotes about her loved ones.
“Based on an Actual Lie,” announces the opening frame of this intergenerational dramedy first made public on NPR’s radio program “This American Life” in a story titled “In Defense of Ignorance” back in 2016. Ironically, the reasoning behind the elaborate falsehood is where the movie’s noble heart resides.
Told mostly in Mandarin, Wang’s bittersweet triumph gives rapper turned comedic actress Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Oceans 8”) the melancholic part of Billi, a Chinese-born writer who moved to America when she was 6 years old.