The immigration process is daunting in and of itself. Learning new surroundings, in some cases learning a new language, and leaving behind everything and maybe even everyone you knew. What this tough adjustment means for immigrants interacting with their new home is what is often centered when we talk about the immigrant experience. But what about how this affects how immigrants interact with one another? How does the lack of confidence in dealing with the outside world affect how confident and loving they can be with their partners or their parents? One film seeks to examine this oft-overlooked issue.
Farewell Amor finds an Angolan family reunited in the U.S. after 17 years apart. Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) has spent that time working in New York City and preparing for the eventual arrival of his wife Esther (Zainab Jah), and teenage daughter Sylvia (Jayme Lawson). Although they now live under the same roof, the passage of time has made the family somewhat strangers to each other. Through conflict and tough conversations, they try to reconnect while simultaneously adjusting to life in a new country.
Farewell Amor is structured in a somewhat Rashomon-way that allows the audience to experience the life of this immigrant family from three characters’ individual perspectives, each trying to adjust to life in America. What Sylvia, Walter, and Esther all share is a sense of loneliness that emanates from their being in unfamiliar surroundings and the resulting uncertainty. The tough adjustments that immigrants face from the outside are well known and oft-discussed, but the downward pressure that eventually makes its way into their personal relationships less so, but is covered well in the film. Walter and Esther’s relationship is particularly interesting as we are shown that the love between them is still there, but after living 17 years apart and immersed in different cultures, the changes in personality and interests require learning each other all over again. For Sylvia, adjusting to a new culture and surroundings as a teenage girl is almost as heavy a lift as repairing a marriage. What is clear from all of their separate struggles are the challenges faces as immigrants seeking better lives for your family and how those challenges can create fissures internally for these families.
The film’s ensemble cast are all a joy to watch and in one of the more pleasant surprises in film in 2020, Joie Lee shows up onscreen as Nzingha, a sympathetic ear for Esther as she adjusts to life in America and a marriage she slowly realizes may be on the rocks. Jayme Lawson’s turn as Sylvia stands out most among the cast as she displays signs of a bright future ahead of her as a conflicted young woman trying to find her footing through her passion for dance. Her chemistry with Marcus Scribner who plays DJ, the lone American that attempts to befriend her, adds an interesting element to the film. Zainab Jah and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine provide a concurrent storyline that packs additional emotional resonance and intrigue as they attempt to repair their marriage without completely disrupting it at the same time.
In a banner year for female filmmakers, director Ekwa Msangi adds her film to the list as Farewell Amor takes a look at how even in a crowded apartment, the process of emigrating can result in loneliness. Jayme Lawson gives a standout performance that feels like the beginning of a notable career while Zainab Jah and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine offer supporting work that compliments her storyline and the film itself quite well. Farewell Amor is a quality indie that paints a tender portrait of the immigrant experience.
Image: IFC Films
