February 2020 – Page 2 – Tripping Through Gateways

The Farewell is the story of Billi, whose parents moved to the United States from China when she was young. While she has remained in contact with the family, she is feeling disconnected to them.

When she discovers that her Grandmother has cancer and that her parents kept it from her and were not bringing her on a trip to visit her Nai Nai, she is heartbroken. It does look cold, but the truth is, nobody has informed her Grandmother of her illness and they feel that Billi could not hide this. But Billi decides to to make the trip anyways and surprise her family.

As her uncle explains, they are keeping her condition from Nai Nai to carry the burden for her. In a heartbreaking moment, he suggests that Billi wants to tell Nai Nai the truth because it will make things easier for Billi.

The film really captures the entire family struggle, as Billi is less alone than she realizes. Her father and mother, her uncle, her cousin…all are struggling with the reality and putting on the brave faces for Nai Nai.

But the Farewell is not all sadness. In fact, it is also sweet and funny. Lulu Wang is exploring grief, but also what it means to be a part of a family. Honestly, it is a beautiful film and worth watching.

Also, not nominating Awkwafina for an acting Oscar is a crime.

Honestly, the trailers for 1917 did not really grab me. War movies are not something I tend to get excited for. But then, I saw all the talk from people whose opinions I trust that it is a must see film, and more importantly worth seeing in the theater.

So, this weekend, I finally got the opportunity to sit down and watch the film in my local cineplex. I tried to avoid getting my hopes set too high.

And I tell you this much…the film was amazing to watch. By now, it is pretty well known that it is set up to look like one long and continuous shot, following two young soldiers in World War One given the mission to cross the German front line to warn a general that their planned attack needs to be halted, as it is a trap.

This is how you use a gimmick to tell a story. We stay with soldiers Blake and Schofield as they make their way through the treacherous landscape, which means we never see the dangers or threats until they come upon them.

Blake is more idealistic than Schofield, but both clearly struggle with the weight on their shoulders, the burden of the war.

While the whole film is impressive, the sequence that really blew may away is the night time sequence. Often we only see from the light cast by fires and explosions and flares. This creates a moment of great uncertainty and beauty as the scene brightens and then shadows rush over the landscape.

If you have not seen 1917 yet and it is still at your local theater? Check it out. It is worth seeing in the theater.

Month: February 2020

Losing Together (The Farewell, 2019)

The Continuous Horror of War (1917, 2019)