Review: 'Farewell Amor' Explores Different Perspectives

"Farewell Amor" is a moving, bittersweet, and tender drama about an immigrant family from Angola reuniting in the U.S. after 17 years apart. It features excellent performances and a great, vivid soundtrack. Written and directed by Ekwa Msangi, in her feature film directorial debut, the film is based on her 2016 short film.

Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) emigrated from Angola to the U.S. almost two decades ago. His wife Esther (Zainab Jah) and his daughter Sylvia (Jayme Lawson), who was born during the Angolan civil war, join him to live in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City. Opening at the airport, the moment of their reunion, the film is broken into three parts, brilliantly and beautifully showcasing each of the family members' perspectives.

Walter and Esther hold different opinions than one another. They have grown apart over the years, diverging wildly in their opinions, beliefs, and lifestyles. It's understandable as people change, especially after so much time has passed. They must get to know each other all over again. Walter loves to dance and he's open-minded. Esther now has strict religious beliefs; she goes to church regularly and she doesn't drink alcohol. They disagree over how to spend money; she wants to send it home to a church in Dar-es-Salaam, while he laments that he wouldn't have worked so hard if he knew the money would go to a church. Esther has been faithful, patiently waiting all these years to be reunited. But Walter had a romantic relationship with someone else, a woman named Linda (Nana Mensah).

The entire cast is excellent. Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Walter stands out. He conveys so much emotion and yearning beneath the surface. In one of the film's most touching moments, Walter and Linda dance together one last time, a tragic and heartbreaking scene. You feel the love they still share in their final moment of intimacy saying goodbye.

Esther gets the mail and sees mail for Linda, realizing that Walter wasn't faithful, which breaks her heart. On a phone call to a friend back home, Esther laments being alone in the house. Despite becoming friends with her neighbor, Nzingha (Joie Lee), she desperately misses her home and her community.

Sylvia struggles as a 17-year-old girl trying to acclimate to a new school. She strives to dance in a competition, but her mother wants her to focus on her studies. When Sylvia invites a boy to the apartment, Esther is furious, while Walter isn't at all bothered. This once again highlights the differences between the couple and their parenting styles.

Each of the family members is disconnected. But Walter and Sylvia both love to dance. Walter tells Sylvia, "This country is very hard for Black people and foreigners. You have got to carry yourself a certain way so as not to make white people feel threatened. So when we get to dance, that's the one place I can be myself." It's a commentary on the racism and xenophobia Black immigrants face in the U.S., while simultaneously acknowledging a joyous expression of self. But dance also enables Walter and Sylvia to connect and bond. Walter supports Sylvia's dream of dancing. Walter hasn't been able to be a father figure to Sylvia for most of her life. They have a massive divide between them due to time apart. But their love of dance slowly brings father and daughter together.

"Farewell Amor" tells an immigrant story we don't typically see on-screen. It's a film brimming with love, empathy, and poignancy.

"Farewell Amor" opens in theaters and on digital and VOD platforms Dec. 11.