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Rolling Stone ‘Farewell Amor’ Review: A Family Reunion, Fraught With Tension
A story of an immigrant starting a new life with his wife and daughter in America becomes an intimate, indelible three-way character study
By IFC Films
Farewell Amor, the debut feature from writer-director Ekwa Msangi, begins with a homecoming. At the airport, Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), an Angolan refugee who now makes his living as a cab driver in New York, gingerly greets his wife and teenage daughter. His family has finally made it to the U.S. after waiting 17 years for the proper visas. The trio exchanges awkward hugs. Walter asks his daughter, Sylvia (Jayme Lawson), to spin around so he can see how she’s grown. They search each other’s faces, trying to discern how much has changed and what, if anything has remained the same.
Zainab Jah are bringing a heartwarming immigration story to life in their new indie drama
Farewell Amor.
In the film, Mwine plays Walter, an Angolan immigrant who brings his wife and daughter to the U.S. after 17 years apart. Mwine tells ABC Audio that the film doesn’t just show the challenges of reuniting with family, it shows the true burden of love.
“What’s so great about the film is that it shows that it’s possible to be in love with two people at the same time,” he says. “And how hard it is to let go of that love. And how hard it is to rekindle a love. For me, it’s really a wonderful examination of love and [its] complexities.”
An Immigrant Family Is Reunited After 17 Years In The Sweetly Moving Farewell Amor
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After a 17-year separation, Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) greets his wife Esther (Zainab Jah) and daughter Sylvia (Ekwa Msangi) at JFK airport in the opening scene of
Farewell Amor.
IFC Films
Farewell Amor begins with a scene at JFK Airport, where a man greets the wife and teenage daughter he hasn t seen in years.
It s a moving but awkward reunion. Seventeen years ago, Walter left their war-torn home country, Angola, and moved to New York, where he now works as a taxi driver. His wife, Esther, and their daughter, Sylvia, relocated from Angola to Tanzania, where they ve been living ever since while waiting for their U.S. visas. The details of this backstory are hinted at rather than spelled out, and Walter, Esther and Sylvia don t seem inclined to dwell too much on the past.
Zainab Jah are bringing a heartwarming immigration story to life in their new indie drama
Farewell Amor.
In the film, Mwine plays Walter, an Angolan immigrant who brings his wife and daughter to the U.S. after 17 years apart. Mwine tells ABC Audio that the film doesn’t just show the challenges of reuniting with family, it shows the true burden of love.
“What’s so great about the film is that it shows that it’s possible to be in love with two people at the same time,” he says. “And how hard it is to let go of that love. And how hard it is to rekindle a love. For me, it’s really a wonderful examination of love and [its] complexities.”