THE FAREWELL: A+

The Farewell is based on events from Lulu Wang’s own life; and, as real life does, the film stands outside of genre. The film mines uncomfortable humor from its central premise (a family decides not to tell an aging grandmother about a terminal diagnosis), but it’s not interested in shock, which makes Awkwafina an unexpectedly perfect center for the film. She’s not the boisterous showstopper of Crazy Rich Asians, but neither is she maudlin or mopey. She, like every other moment of this film, is real.

Matt Guerrero, Founding Editor