At a friend’s birthday party in Brooklyn, she does her best to sing along, but everyone can see she is distressed. As an indecisive Haiyan is lead away to inspect the tub for an herbal bath treatment and massage, Billi paces, and Gu Gu alleviates the tension by teasing that the masseuses might give her father a “hit the airplane” treatment. Billi surprises them and confronts her father on his smoking. 75–78: Nai Nai holds court at a table which includes GENERAL ZHU, GENERAL FU, AND GENERAL MU, reminiscing about the good old times. The Two-Faced Queen continues the story of Michael Kingsman while leaving the comfort so many book series find themselves in. They finish by burning paper effigies of the material blessings they wish for Ye Ye (ie, paper coat, paper money, paper iPhone) and then wrap up with Nai Nai leading the family in paying their respects, with her speaking to Ye Ye’s grave, asking for his blessings over the individual members of the Wang Family, and the family members all bowing their heads in unison three times in response to each request. I would not presume to interpret a final “say” on what Wang is doing by bringing us to the edge of emotional catharsis before hitting the brakes – in fact I still suspect it’s part conceptual misstep rather than a full moment of arch genius – but the juddering “wait, what?” of her happy reveal certainly speaks to notions of closure and fictiveness in ways that are interesting enough to excuse the nagging sense that the choice is not quite satisfying. Huge fan of Leos Carax, Don Hertzfeldt, Claire Denis, Thomas Pynchon, awards ceremonies, music videos and making endless lists of things to watch, read, listen to and tick off for the sake of ticking off. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. 81–82: Billi is frantic, and runs all the way to the hospital. Nai Nai is coughing. She finishes her speech with congratulating Hao Hao and Aiko, to thunderous applause. Billi is at a point in her life where little is … I wish there was more I could do to help you.” Nai Nai’s eyes well with tears as she pushes the envelope into Billi’s hands. The Banquet Chef enters, confirming that the meal that was ordered is crab, that he was never informed anything about lobster, leading to Nai Nai to cause a scene, ending with her coughing and collapsing into a chair. He asks the gathered members whether they should tell her the truth and make plans for various members to stay with her. 67: After the family has been dropped off at the hotel, Nai Nai soaks her aching feet in hot water, tended to by Mr. Li. Billi finally turns to her mother, and asks her if either her or dad get sick in America, would they want her to lie to them? The stakes have, at the last possible nanosecond, been completely removed. True to form, Nai Nai stubbornly stays rooted to the spot, her figure growing smaller. When it finishes, you may not think it hit you with a bang, but it does stay with you for a longtime and haunt you with its humaneness, little moments, and the phenomenal soundtrack that captures the affect of the film so well. Nai Nai instructs Aiko sternly in Chinese to look more in love, to which Aiko doesn’t understand. Billi assures her that she does not. Despite how small her studio apartment is, it feels enormous and empty. Little Nai Nai’s voice is heard through Uncle Haibin’s speakerphone, giving them directions to the hospital, where Nai Nai has gone. The film’s style also primes you for a good cry; it has a sparky and ironical humour, with a couple of great one-liners, all framed in an essentially rather quiet film. 66: As the group takes leave of the cemetery, Nai Nai casually comments that when the time comes for her, that she would just like her ashes to be scattered over the ocean, because no one is home for her. 5–6: Nai Nai’s younger son and Billi’s father, HAIYAN WANG (late 50’s), holds court in his dining room before family and friends. The Farewell announces at the beginning that it’s based on an actual lie, but the meaningful truths it reveals couldn’t be more poignant or powerful. Instead of giving in to the urge to crumble, she lifts her chin and inhales deeply, and then with all of her life force, she channels Nai Nai’s “HA!”. I am looking for volunteers to read a script and provide a scene-by-scene breakdown for it to be used as part of our weekly series. After Sun Ao and his wife Nico do the welcome to Changchun speech, father of the groom Uncle Haibin thanks Gu Gu, acknowledging her care of Nai Nai and the family’s gratitude that she has cared for her as her own mother. Jian confirms that she does not regret her decision, but that it is complicated. 20–23: The family eats, making small talk about the food. Gu Gu offers to take Billi and Haiyan to a massage parlor, to which Nai Nai enthusiastically agrees, to Billi’s disappointment. The psychic then declared that her daughter was also water but she was a big ocean of water, which meant her river would flow into her. Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay: After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. Are you crazy?” Billi and Jian chuckle through their tears, on the same page, at last. Nai Nai, Aiko, and Hao Hao continue with fulfilling the customs of a Chinese Wedding Banquet. Power games. Charles and Caroline visit Walnut Grove and are pleased to be able to stay in the \"Little House\" when John and Sarah Carter go out of town.Then the townspeople learn that a land development tycoon Nathan Lassiter has acquired title to all the land in Hero Township, which they had believed to be homesteading land.Having failed to defeat his claim on legal grounds and even with guns, the townspeople are inspired by Laura to vent their anger at what they see as an injustice and they decide u… She also tosses a sly insult on the family by announcing to the receptionist that Billi is from America and her Chinese is weak, and continues to speak in rapid Chinese, too fast for Billi to understand. Her mother enters the room, and bluntly tells her that Nai Nai is dying of stage 4 lung cancer, and then drops the bombshells that not only does Nai Nai not know, the doctor only gives her another 3 months at best to live. Nai Nai affirms her promise that they will see each other very soon, but then declares that they should not drag this out any further, re-establishing her authority, and admonishes them to hurry to not miss their flights. Key Scene Analysis. It’s that kind of a hotel. your cat… it got on the roof… “ Haiyan ends his tale with the punchline that upon his wife’s return from another trip, he says, “Listen, honey, you know your Mom… she got on the roof… “ which results in Billi and her mother JIAN LU chuckling along with everyone surrounding the table. Jian lectures Haiyan on his drinking, while Haiyan proclaims that he drank for his mother. And in many ways, the most nerve-shattering moment is that rear-window shot of Nai Nai waving goodbye, receding, and finally unable to not cry. Gu Gu herself is barely restraining her own tears, as Billi tries to console the inconsolable Hao Hao. It’s told in the first person, in the past tense, like a memory. Even if you do not participate in the analysis, discussion, or write up a scene-by-scene breakdown, I strongly encourage you to read these scripts. Nai Nai then instructed her parents to let her raise Billi for a year to “fix her” and get her healthy again. Losing control. In America, one’s life belongs to oneself. Drinking games, which allows the entire family to temporarily forget for the time being. 89: Billi enters her New York apartment with her suitcase. Hao Hao is clearly not doing well restraining his emotions, reluctantly obeys, requesting that he keep his wedding banquet small. Billi turns around, numb with grief, but is surprised to find her mother weeping silently. Uncle Haibin tries to reclaim his status by saying that Chinese people are not accustomed to drinking champagne, and that she should order Baijiu, a Chinese spirit. To download a PDF of the breakdown for The Farewell, go here. I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: The Farewell. They are inspired by Laura to vent their anger at this injustice. Again, this coda throws up more fog in its seeming clarity – fog that Wang has cleared up, but this is of course separate to the question of what’s presented within her film.). General Mu acknowledges that it is so rare for Billi to be able to back, and urges her to speak to Nai Nai while she has the opportunity. There's a level many books find themselves in. Obeying, Billi puts on her best smile, and calls out her relatives with forced enthusiasm. Ren tells him it is pretty soon. Jian gets defensive, especially when Nai Nai lectures her on how to take care of her husband. Billi’s heart swells with compassion. Wendy Ide. Sisters With Transistors – Sheffield Doc/Fest 2020 Review. Billi is anguished, and Nai Nai actually sobs. She absorbs the touch and scent of her grandmother’s hand, and kisses it. Everyone responds a little too enthusiastically. Death is not something within our control. All she needs to be satisfied is for Billi to be successful and to have a good life. Mistborn, for instance, even though the stakes get higher and the world expands has a constant feel to it. Billi smiles as convincingly as possible, promising that she will come back to see her. Their conversation is interrupted with Nai Nai shoving a giant shrimp in Billi’s face and commanding her to eat more. Jian looks at her daughter like she is crazy, and reminds her that she cannot cook, clean, and can barely speak Chinese. 70–71: Billi returns to the hotel, and joins the other members of the family, searching for Aiko’s missing earring. 34–35: As Nai Nai and Uncle Haibin meet with the WEDDING COORDINATOR, Nai Nai is in hysterics. She ends by noting that Billi has always been fearless, and that she is confident that Billi will be fine. Actually, it’s this very refusal to gather the family around for one last, touching Terms of Endearment exchange of affirmations that gives the denouement such earned power: as much as we’d like to Say Goodbye for the Last Time, mostly in life we’ll simply say goodbye, for the last time. The Farewell is a beautifully made film with a seemingly simple story. As Michael leads Billi up the many flights of stairs to her room, she has to stop to catch her breath. He tells a funny story about a man that upon his wife’s return home from a trip, the first thing he says is “Honey, your cat is dead.” The wife reprimands him by instructing him to be more gentle in delivering such news, with the example to ease it in with “Listen, honey…. Is their marriage in trouble? After bolting up the stairs and searching for Mrs. Gao, she spots her on the second floor and confronts her. Gu Gu pours beer for everyone and leads a toast, praising the beaming face of Nai Nai. Little Nai Nai is concerned, but Nai Nai waves her off. Nai Nai catches Billi’s eye, and gives her a stern glare to remind her of her duty. Haiyan is fighting back tears. The cast is led by Awkwafina, as the fully Americanised Billi, and she channels her natural energy into a downbeat rhythm that often recedes, yet shoulders most of the material. Gu Gu runs up to him, Billi also rushes over, and together they start damage control, furtively checking on Nai Nai who is distracted by her conversation with Mrs. Gao. She asks him what is wrong, assuming wrongfully that her parents were fighting and that he had been drinking again. "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is a television film that served as the 256th and final episode of the American television series M*A*S*H. Closing out the series' 11th season, the two-hour episode first aired on CBS on February 28, 1983, ending the series' original run. The lightly fictionalized film finds Awkwafina's character Billi in the same situation, grappling with her own impending loss and frustration with the … He manages to pull himself together to end the toast with his declaration that she is the best mother in the world, to scattered applause. But then Stimpy breaks down in tears, asking what will they do until then. The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang, is fast being slotted into one of film culture’s more interesting reductive categories: the heartfelt indie that makes everyone cry. A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story. While Haiyan and Uncle Haibin grow quiet with guilt, Nai Nai takes command to enjoy the fact that everyone is home together, and to make this a happy occasion, but the damage is already done. All in one sitting. Uncle Haibin rushes to reassure her that crab is great and to not get worked up. As Billi scrambles to collect her mail from the ground, Nai Nai calls her back. The Farewell is a real highlight of 2019 in cinema Deeply moving and surprisingly funny, this new released wowed audiences at Sundance earlier this year. 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