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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Farewell (2019) in Movies

Oct 2, 2019

The Farewell (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Drama

8.9

(7 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Faintly oddball comedy-drama successfully pulls off that trick of looking like being about one thing but actually covering lots of ground. Chinese matriarch is found to have terminal cancer; in accordance with local tradition the family keep her in the dark about this but organise a fake wedding as an excuse to get together one last time. New York-based scion of the family Awkwafina, grand-daughter of the dying woman, is very doubtful of the ethicality of this.

You expect a film about grief, and to some extent this is one, although it's really a chronicle of grief foretold, as the characters anticipate a loss to come. It's also about cultural differences, family life, and the way in which people routinely tell lies to each other every single day simply in order to keep life livable. The film skates along over the top of all this and treats it all with a light and delicate touch. Not an absolute tear-jerker, I thought, but there are some very touching moments (then again, I may be emotionally atrophied, who knows). Not a huge amount actually happens but the film has clearly been made with intelligence and skill.

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MPMcDonald (8 KP) rated Blue Water, White Water in Books

Jan 12, 2018

I work as a respiratory therapist so I deal with patients on ventilators all the time. This book has made me more aware of what the patient is going through and I hope, it's given me a little more patience with my patients.

One thing I found very strange was that the family had to pay separately for a nurse at the hospital and had to find coverage if a nurse couldn't be there--and this takes place at one of the most well-known hospitals in the country. I have never heard of a family having to do that and I've worked in several different facilities and have since a few years after the events in the book took place. I've even worked in a rehab facility and nursing care was included. (More LPNs than RNs, but still, someone was there to take care of patients.)