The Farewell (2025) is an emotional, poignant drama that explores the complexities of family, cultural identity, and the delicate balance between love, secrecy, and sacrifice. This reimagined version of the original 2019 film, The Farewell, brings a fresh perspective to the story while maintaining the core themes of identity, tradition, and the weight of familial duty.
The movie centers around Billi, a young Chinese-American woman who is deeply connected to her grandmother, Nai Nai, who lives in China. When Billi’s family learns that Nai Nai has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, they make a decision not to tell her. Instead, they plan a family reunion under the guise of a wedding — a celebration meant to gather everyone together before it’s too late. This cultural decision stems from the belief that it is kinder to shield Nai Nai from the harsh truth of her condition, preserving her peace in her final days.
Billi, a graduate student living in the U.S., is shocked when her family decides to keep this secret from Nai Nai. Conflicted by her Western values, where honesty and truth are paramount, and her Chinese heritage, where protecting loved ones from pain is often seen as a noble act, Billi finds herself caught between two worlds. She is struggling to accept her family’s decision, torn between wanting to be truthful with Nai Nai and understanding the love behind their decision to shield her.
As the family navigates the lie they’ve collectively agreed upon, Billi wrestles with her conscience. She becomes both a participant and an observer of her family’s cultural practices, seeing the lengths to which they go to preserve peace and protect their matriarch, all while keeping the secret that will forever change the fabric of their relationships.
