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Professor Butler
Mian Cheng
Writing
2021/9/28
Film Review of “The Farewell”
The contrasting of two cultures through films is a norm that has been in existence ever
since film production became a huge industry. For instance, a film like "The Farewell," which
was released in theatres in 2019 written and directed by Lulu Wang, is a perfect example of what
usually happens when two contrasting cultures come together in a scene. In this case, the cultures
depicted in the comical film are those of China and America. As this is her true life story, Wang
tries to show the differences in cultural values, behavior, and aspirations that come into play
when relatives of the American and Chinese societies meet under similar circumstances in the
film.
One of the elements depicted by the characters of the film who come from different
cultures is humor. Both the American and Chinese societies have developed the meanings of
humor differently, and this scenario is depicted throughout the film (Jiang, Li, and Hou 123).
The scenes encompass humorous aspects when the marriage begins, and the multiple cultures
unite together to celebrate the festivity of the family event. Moreover, as the wedding between
the cousin of the main character and the bride unfolds, the contrast among the different cultures
is shown in comedy. Furthermore, the film director has also tried to reduce the bitterness
between these two cultures by making the film positive and humorous. As a result, the film
meets the universality aspect when the director influences the characters to play their parts in

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closeness to the actual life rather than making it a comedy film where culture is the most integral
part to be understood.
Another contrasting feature that comes into play in the film is that when it comes to a
sense of obligations, different cultures interpret this element from multiple avenues. For instance,
people from different cultures worldwide have assigned different meanings and connotations
according to their thought patterns, values, and goals in life (Buchtel et al.). The above
phenomenon is depicted in the film when the Chinese American family faces a crisis when their
grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, and the whole family is shocked. In Chinese culture, it is
considered bad to inform cancer patients about their disease since it is not cancer that reduces
patients' lives but the fear that lies inside them when they get to know about their deadly disease.
So, the family decided not to share the news of cancer with the grandmother and lower down the
grief. Furthermore, it was also settled that a marriage would be planned to celebrate the
happiness and joy to fade out the grief of the sad news.
On the other hand, the American culture is open and believes in talking about the truths
and facts of life, even if they are bitter and harsh. As a result, the American Chinese family faces
agony as they feel their grandmother should have the right to know the truth regardless of how
the situation might unfold. Therefore, even though both sides of the family love the grandmother
dearly, the fact that they have lived in different cultural societies makes them have a contrasting
sense of obligation. As a result, the agony in the Chinese culture is shown, contrasting with the
confronting nature of the American culture where the truths are not hidden.
A retrospective outlook of the film also shows that language also contributes o cultural
differences between the Chinese and American cultures. Since language becomes the most basic
form of expression, it can also help individuals from different cultures learn and interact with

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each other (Alshammari). However, since the main characters know both languages, she
becomes a bridge that can link the Chinese culture with the American one, helping the whole
family communicate and interact.
Even though the main character can act as a bridge between these two cultures, one
cannot help but feel that there are bound to be cultural shocks. The cultural shocks are expected
to happen due to the simple fact that the language and understanding of the people may become
confused due to differences in their cultural identities. Therefore, outcomes may be short or long
when these shocks happen hence leading the people to experience positive or negative feelings
(O'Neill and Cullingford). In the film, characters try to avoid these cultural shocks by showing
that Chinese culture takes account of other people's emotions regardless of whether they
belonging to other cultural backgrounds. For instance, the grandmother in the film advises and
assists the couple by guiding them throughout the wedding preparations. She helps them arrange
the wedding in the possible best manner so that the bride and the groom can enjoy all the
happiness and protocols. Furthermore, some characters also try to ensure that the bride is kept at
ease so that she might not think that she belonged to some other culture where the wedding was
celebrated in a different manner rather than that of the Chinese culture.
In depicting cultural differences, “The Farewell” film has tried its best. However, when
compared to other films of the sa...