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China · 2020
1h 26m
Director Lina Wang
Starring Isa Yasan, Kalbinur Rahmati, Alinaz Rahmati
Genre Drama, Family
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Lina Wang's directorial debut is an ode to her hometown, portraying a Muslim farmboy's relationship with his deaf and mute mother, his friendship with a girl, and his parting from them. The film depicts the difficulties of Uyghur children learning in a Mandarin-based education system in China.
The Hollywood Reporter by Clarence Tsui
Bolstered by lush imagery and, perhaps more importantly, immensely naturalistic performances from its non-professional child actors, the film conjures up a quietly heartbreaking drama that works on multiple levels. These nuances probably allowed Wang to elude the stringent demands of China's censors.
Los Angeles Times by Michael Ordona
A First Farewell is a gorgeously shot window into a world most of us hadn’t looked through before, but it’s worth examining the meanings of its images.
Told mostly through the eyes of primary school-aged characters, “Farewell” operates firstly as a film that can be deemed as suitable for children, while also offering plenty for adult audiences to read between the lines.
Indeed, the fact that the movie’s youthful lead will have to say goodbye to his childhood might be inevitable, but it never feels as standard as it sounds. Assisting immensely are some naturalistic performances, particularly from Yasan.
Two old friends get in touch through video calls amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.