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.

Starring Awkwafina, Diana Lin, Lu Hong, Tzi Ma, Zhao Shuzhen, and Jiang Yongbo. Written and directed by Lulu Wang.

Co-presented by Oakland Asian Cultural Center and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).

Text: OACC is helping collect canned food donations for Alameda County Community Food Bank this season.