The Farewell is a 2019 movie created by Chinese-American director/writer/producer Lulu Wang. It is based on a true “good lie” that Wang’s family told her grandmother (who lives in China) after they learned she was diagnosed with cancer. In China, it’s common for doctors to first inform family members about a medical diagnosis, and the family members often decide to not tell their loved one if the prognosis is grim. The Farewell essentially chronicles the conflicted emotions that Wang felt about her family’s decision to hide her grandmother’s (Nai Nai) diagnosis, as she spent most of her life in the United States, where the individual—not the family—is the basic unit of society.

In this activity, participants will either watch The Farewell or listen to the This American Life episode where Wang describes this experience with her family. Then, the facilitator will lead a discussion about the internal and interpersonal conflicts that Lulu (Billi in the movie) faces as a result of the cultural differences within the family. Then, they will ask participants to reflect on the cultural dynamics within their own families.