Farewell Amor (2020)
85%RT Audience Score: 71%
Awards & Nominations: 9 wins & 8 nominations
A striking debut feature for writer-director Ekwa Msangi, Farewell Amor movingly captures the fallout from a long-separated family’s reunion
Farewell Amor is like that one friend who always surprises you with their hidden talents. At first, you think it’s just another immigrant story, but then it hits you with its unique perspective and split narrative. The performances are top-notch, and the cinematography captures the intimacy of the story beautifully. Sure, it may be a bit slow at times, but it’s worth it to see where this family’s desires and truths collide. Overall, Farewell Amor is a promising debut from Ekwa Msangi, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios,
Distributor
IFC Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2020
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 41m
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Language(s):English, Portuguese, Aboriginal
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 11, 2020 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2020
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Farewell Amor, drama, Ekwa Msangi, Huriyyah Muhammad, Sam Bisbee, Josh Penn, Ntare Mwine, Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Joie Lee, Marcus Scribner, Nana Mensah, immigrant story, family reunion, emotional distance, Brooklyn apartment, dance, inter-generational tale, America, English, limited release, streaming, box office, IFC Films, reviewed by Derek Smith, Mark Kermode, Joe Morgenstern, Simran Hans, Wendy Ide, Leslie Felperin, Kay-B, Nicholas Yap, Bianca Garner, Logan Del Fuego, David Bax, John Serba
Worldwide gross: $4,689
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,351
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,149
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 584
US/Canada gross: $4,689
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,351
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,829
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,168
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,615
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,823
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Zainab Jah – Esther
Jayme Lawson – Sylvia
Joie Lee – Nzingha
Marcus Scribner – DJ
Nana Mensah – Linda
Ekwa Msangi – Director/Writer
Huriyyah Muhammad – Producer
Sam Bisbee – Producer
Josh Penn – Producer
Director(s)
Ekwa Msangi
Writer(s)
Ekwa Msangi
Producer(s)
Huriyyah Muhammad, Sam Bisbee, Josh Penn
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
9 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (73) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (2)
Ekwa Msangi’s debut feature attempts to give a fresh spin on the American immigrant story.
June 23, 2022
Derek Smith
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The best thing I can say about Farewell Amor is that it’s its own movie, the opposite of I’m Thinking of Ending Things…
December 30, 2020
Mark Kermode
Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review
TOP CRITIC
One of the great strengths of Farewell Amor is its intimacy, the sense it conveys of three people close together yet emotionally distant in Walter’s small, narrow Brooklyn apartment. Another strength, and a huge one, is Mr. Mwine’s portrayal of Walter.
December 29, 2020
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
There are three sides to every story in Ekwa Msangi’s vivid and carefully observed feature debut, and so she cleverly splits the film into thirds, replaying the action but changing the vantage point with each chapter.
December 20, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Simran Hans
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
An accomplished feature film debut from writer and director Ekwa Msangi.
December 17, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Wendy Ide
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
An auspicious start to a career that’s likely to accelerate fast.
December 15, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Leslie Felperin
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
While a bit slower than I hoped and a little less defined in the story when we got to Sylvias point of view, I still found myself heavily invested in where the intersection of this familys desires and truths would collide.
February 9, 2022 | Rating: B
Kay-B
Pay or Wait
Farewell Amor resembles, in shape, less accomplished recent indie efforts, but it eschews much of their patness in creating something altogether more complex and affecting.
June 5, 2021
Nicholas Yap
In Review Online
Superb performances from the film’s central three leads with stunning cinematography which captures the film’s intimacy.
May 5, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Bianca Garner
Next Best Picture
Msangi proves with this impressive first feature that she is a rising star, and definitely one to watch.
April 28, 2021
Logan Del Fuego
Bust Magazine
Like the kid at the party too self-conscious to peel himself off the back wall, Farewell Amor would have a better time if it just got out on the floor.
March 22, 2021
David Bax
Battleship Pretension
An insightful drama, simple in story but complex in presentation, about people on the fringe of American society.
March 19, 2021
John Serba
Decider…
Plot
After 17 years apart, an Angolan immigrant named Walter is reunited with his wife and daughter in the U.S., but they struggle to overcome the emotional distance between them as they adjust to their new life in a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Ntare Mwine’s portrayal of Walter in Farewell Amor as a “huge strength” of the film.
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