The Farewell is one of 2019's best movies

This gentle comedy about a dying grandmother left Sundance audiences enraptured

The Farewell.
(Image credit: Illustrated | A24, nazarkru/iStock)

Lulu Wang's low-key slice-of-life The Farewell debuted at Sundance earlier this year, and from the description in the program guide, it sounded like typical indie fare. "Troubled soul finds a renewed purpose in life after reconnecting with her roots" may be the most common indie premise — just edging out "hapless schmuck witnesses a crime" and "sensitive artist struggles to be heard."

But The Farewell left Sundance audiences enraptured, and for good reason. The movie doesn't have a twisty plot; and yet at nearly every turn, with nearly every choice Wang makes, The Farewell defies expectations.

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Noel Murray

Noel Murray is a freelance writer, living in Arkansas with his wife and two kids. He was one of the co-founders of the late, lamented movie/culture website The Dissolve, and his articles about film, TV, music, and comics currently appear regularly in The A.V. Club, Rolling Stone, Vulture, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times.