THE FAREWELL-- 05|01|2025

Yes, it's a new year! A chance for renewal, new adventures and many more Aftersun screenings!

In our first screening of the year, we explored the theme of Belonging through two strikingly different yet deeply interconnected films: Lulu Wang’s feature film The Farewell and Marie Margaux Tsakiri’s short film My Mother’s Coat. It's our second time exploring this, and what a way to do it! What a way to start the year!

Both pieces provided the Aftersunettes a profound exploration of the intricate nature of identity and heritage, highlighting how these elements shape our sense of self. They also examined the deep emotional connections that link us to our loved ones, illustrating how shared experiences and cultural backgrounds strengthen these bonds. Through rich narratives and insightful reflections, the works invited us to consider how our identities are influenced by our personal histories and the relationships that define our lives.

But... I'm getting ahead of myself

My Mother’s Coat: Memory Woven into Fabric

Things would have been different if I had been in my country, if I had been close to my family because life should be a walk that is shared but I walked most of it by myself. This is why I always tell you to find a man who will wash the dishes with you, sweep the floor with you, raise the child with you. Everything together...everything

Tsakiri’s My Mother’s Coat offered a poetic counterpoint to Lulu Wang's The Farewell. This animated short weaves a tale of generational belonging through the metaphor of a coat passed from mother to daughter. A deep exploration of time lost and the longing that comes with it. Told as a read letter, the voiceover accompanied Aftersunettes toward an exploration of belonging that focuses on misplacement and a deep need to return to a home, to a belonging. 

We were all struck by the intimacy of the film, which, though brief, managed to encapsulate a lifetime of shared experiences and unspoken inheritances.

During our discussion, one Aftersunette described the animation style as a powerful way of carrying fragments of those before us, whether through traditions, memories or even the burdens they bore. The consensus was that the film emphasised belonging not just as a place or a people but as an emotional legacy we wear every day.

The Farewell: Secrets and Shared Roots

You think one life belongs to just one person. But that's not true. One life belongs to many people." - Nai Nai

Lulu Wang’s The Farewell takes us into the heart of a Chinese-American family navigating a cultural clash and a collective deception. The story revolves around Billi, a Chinese-American woman, who returns to China for a staged wedding meant to conceal the family’s true purpose: saying goodbye to their terminally ill matriarch, Nai Nai, without telling her she’s dying.

Aftersunettes were moved by the film’s nuanced portrayal of belonging—how it shifts between geographic places and cultural identities. Some shared how they related to Billi’s internal tug-of-war between her Western upbringing and her Chinese roots, particularly in moments where love was expressed in nonverbal, culturally specific ways. In the end, it's about love and how we choose to experience it--- how we choose to let it manifest. Whether it is through white lies, instilling fear to stay safe and alive or even how the dinner table scenes remind us of our own family gatherings, where love is served on plates rather than spoken aloud. The members pondered on the ethics of lying to protect the ones we love or even the self. How much do we really need to know and for what purpose? or as Lu Jian puts it: "When people get cancer, they die. It's not the cancer that kills them; it's the fear." Can the truth be just as harmful as the lie?

This is what we all felt ultimately: belonging is as much about the stories we inherit as the ones we create. Whether through Billi’s journey to reconnect with her family or the coat that carried a mother’s love across generations, both films reminded us of the universal yet deeply personal nature of belonging. We need to belong somewhere, even within the self and this asks us to navigate the many nuances and challenges that we hope help us maintain harmony.

Looking Ahead

We hope this year treats you all kindly as we continue to enjoy beautiful stories from around the world as the Aftersun Family. Here's to many more movies, to new friends, and to a sense of belonging! Cheers!