Aesthetics and Art

Aesthetic Communication and Lulu Wang's The Farewell 

By: Nina Borja

            The Farewell, a 2019 narrative memoir film directed by Lulu Wang is a story that talks about culture, family, and finding one’s own identity. When discussing Orlik’s 6 outer and inner-directed tasks of art, Wang’s truth-based story on her experiences definitely begs the question of interpreting art aesthetics. 

            Refining society and culture by offering the ideal is Orlik’s first listed outer-directed task, which is elegantly served by The Farewell. The idea that art creates culture is centered around this task, where art creates meaning and value by which "a society fills its destiny,” (Orlik p.376). 

            The Farewell, although a film specifically about Asian American experiences and Chinese family dynamics, Wang, as director, in extension, also created a film about the love one has for their family, and how we all inevitably care for one another. This universal truth thematically ties into the emphasis of art being utilized for the benefit of humankind, where audiences learn through the film that familial values are a core element of life itself. 

            Secondly, The Farewell also exhibits the third and final outer-directed task which is art’s ability to help audiences cope with the labors of life. In this context, Billi, the main protagonist of The Farewell finds herself at a cultural crossroads. As a second-generation Chinese-American immigrant, Billi struggles throughout the film with whether or not she should tell her dying grandmother the truth about her diagnosed stage four cancer.

            The idea of “what to do, how to do it, and most importantly, the way we can feel about this doing,” (Orlik p. 380) is not only the center function of this third task but also an elaboration of how The Farewell shows its audience how to navigate through the strifes of cultural identities. By the end of the film, Billi learns that it was never a question of which side of her identity to take, but a question of how to balance those sides of her experiences. 

            This cinematic expression of Billi’s newly found attitude towards life shows audiences how to acknowledge their struggles without removing parts of themselves in fear.