Apr. 3, 2020

2020 PROXY Spring Series: The Farewell

The 2020 PROXY Spring Series of outdoor cinema continues on Friday, April 3rd at the PROXY Walk-In Theater with:

THE FAREWELL

Directed by Lulu Wang, 2019 [PG]

“Almost in passing, The Farewell is a movie about the immigrant experience, a very American movie mostly set in Changchun, China. Billi’s grandmother is Chinese. Her parents are in between cultures, and she is mostly American. But they’re all bound together in the mystical allegiance known as family. This tale of cultural transition is an American story that has been told over and over, for centuries. But it rarely gets told this well.”

– Mick LaSalle, The San Francisco Chronicle

In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration of both the way we perform family and the way we live it, masterfully interweaving a gently humorous depiction of the good lie in action with a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.

Presented by HERE FOR NOW, the FREE, Friday evening film screenings begin at dusk with ‘doors’ opening at 6:00 pm. Film begins at sundown around 8:00pm.

Come early to claim a good spot, enjoy an ice-cold beer from Fort Point Beer Company (all proceeds support outdoor cinema at PROXY!) and wood-fired pizza from Del Popolo food truck!

Check out our tips for enjoying movies outside at PROXY.

RSVP ON EVENTBRITE / FACEBOOK