There are many movies in cinema history that are based on a true story, but Lulu Wang’s The Farewell is really on a different level due to the personal nature of the true story being told. After all, the film is based on Wang’s own experiences coming into conflict with what she discovers is a Chinese societal tradition: not telling the elderly about terminal illnesses when they only have a little time left to live.
In The Farewell, Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, and Diana Lin play fictionalized versions of Lulu Wang and her parents, respectively, as they head from their homes in the United States back to China so that they can covertly say goodbye to the family matriarch, Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao). Given the autobiographical nature of the story, you may wonder how the reality of the situation was ultimately influential on both the narrative and members of the cast – and by clicking play on the video below you’ll find out!