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Fresh Air Weekend: Filmmaker Lulu Wang; The 'Secret World' Of Sleep

When her grandmother is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Billi (played by Awkwafina, center) reluctantly agrees to go along with her family's plan to pay respects to their matriarch — without letting her know she is dying.
A24
When her grandmother is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Billi (played by Awkwafina, center) reluctantly agrees to go along with her family's plan to pay respects to their matriarch — without letting her know she is dying.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Filmmaker Lulu Wang Based 'The Farewell' On Her Family's Real-Life Lie: When Wang's grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the family flew to China to see her, but decided not to tell her the prognosis. "I turned out to be a surprisingly good liar," Wang says.

'Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood' Is Tarantino's Most Personal Film In Years: Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star as a TV actor and his stunt double in a film set in '69 Hollywood. Critic Justin Chang says the movie's low-key hangout vibes may test your patience, but every moment pulses with feeling.

From Insomnia To Sexsomnia, Unlocking The 'Secret World' Of Sleep: Neurologist Guy Leschziner, author of The Nocturnal Brain, says the brain can be in different sleep stages at once — which explains why people sometimes walk, eat and even have sex when sleeping.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Filmmaker Lulu Wang Based 'The Farewell' On Her Family's Real-Life Lie

'Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood' Is Tarantino's Most Personal Film In Years

From Insomnia To Sexsomnia, Unlocking The 'Secret World' Of Sleep

Copyright 2021 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

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