Grab your tissues: The official trailer for the latest buzzed-about Sundance hit The Farewell was released on May 7 – and it's going to hit you hard in the feels.
Based on the life of the film's own Chinese-American director Lulu Wang, the emotional A24 dramedy features Awkwafina in the lead role, a significant departure from her usual comical sidekick character.
The Asian-American comedian, rapper and actress (she does it all), best known for her hilarious part in Crazy Rich Asians and the more recent Ocean's 8, proves to be a natural when it comes to drama.
Filmed in Changchun, the poignant story centers around Billi (played by Awkwafina), a young Chinese-American woman, who returns to China with her family to visit her ailing grandmother after discovering that she is dying from cancer.
On top of that, they've decided to keep her terminal diagnosis a secret, concealing it with an impromptu wedding for Billi's cousin as a believable excuse to bring the entire family together so suddenly. The heart-rending indie flick follows Billi as she fights to stay strong in front of her dear grandmother while trying to understand her family's difficult decision to keep the truth hidden, exploring the cross-cultural differences behind the idea of whether or not honesty really is the best policy.
After a smashingly successful debut earlier this year at the annual Sundance film festival, The Farewell is set to hit the big screens in the U.S. on July 12. While there is no official release date announced for China at the moment, we're crossing our fingers that the Chinese mainland won't have to wait too long to embarrassingly sob along to the bittersweet film in theaters.
Watch the official trailer below (VPN on):
[Cover image via @awkwafina/Instagram]
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