Saving Face - Movie

saving face

THE MOVIE

Saving Face is a 2004 American comedy, directed by Alice Wu.

The movie rotates around 2 parallel love stories' developments: Wil, a lesbian young professional, that falls for Vivian, a young dancer; and Wil's mother, pregnant, who does not want to reveal who the real father is.

This wasthe first Hollywood movie that centered on Chinese Americans since The Joy Luck Club (1993).

"Saving face" refers to a crucial asian concept related to the social shame.

Alice Wu, the director, got inspired by her own coming out story, when her mother kinda imposed her not to be lesbian and stop speaking to her for years.

THE PLOT

Photo 12/Alamy

Dr. Wilhelmina "Wil" Pang is a young american woman, with chinese origins, that works as surgeon in New York City.

Her mother forces her to participate to social events at the restaurant Planet China, with the purpose of set her up with some young chinese man. However Wil is attracted by Vivian.

They "randomly" meet at the hospital where Wil works at, and Vivian manages to invite Wil to attend at one of her modern dance shows: a timid Wil accepts and their relationship slowly starts.

Meanwhile, Wil's mother Hwei-Lan, moves into her apartment, after being kicked out by her father for a pregnancy out of a wedding, for which she doesn't even want to reveal who the real father is.

Vivian keeps pushing Wil to make their relationship official and insists in meeting her mother for a dinner. The dinner is awkward: Wil's mother somehow knows about her daughter being lesbian, and yet denies the evidences and insists further to set her up with young Chinese guys she knows. Wil, on the other hand, starts setting her mother up for datings, so that she concentrates on her personal life and leaves Wil managing her own.

Vivian gets accepted by a prestigious school in Paris and puts Wil in front of a decision: she would not leave if their relationship becomes open to the world. As Wil has been convinced by Vivian's father (who happens to be her boos at the hospital), she steps back and let her girlfriend go.

After several considerations, Wil's mother decides to accept marrying mr Cho, who's been in love with her for over a decade and who's willing to take care of her son. At the wedding day, Wil stops the wedding in the middle of the ceremony and convince her to choose happiness over the social constraints of shame and expectations. At that point Little Yu, son of the local pharmacist, Old Yu, announces he's the real father and propose to marry Wil's mother, despite the age gap.

Wil and her mother run out of the wedding venue, run on a bus, talk sincerely, laugh and off they go to the airport, trying to stop Vivian. But it's a lost cause and she flies to Paris.

Months passes, Wil is constantly sad and Vivian is in Paris. One night Wil let her mother convincing her to go again to Planet China. Vivian is there, convinced by her mother that Wil has stopped going there.

Wil approaches Vivian and asks her to dance. So they do and finally kiss.

Wil'smother and Vivian's mother smile at each other, thumbs up!

THE CAST

Michelle Krusiec = "Wil" Wilhelmina Pang

Lynn Chen = Vivian Shing

Joan Chen = Hwei-Lan Gao (Wil's Mother)

Jin Wang = "Wai Gung" (Grandfather)

Guang Lan Koh = "Wai Po" (Grandmother)

Wang Luoyong = Dr. Shing (Vivian's father)

Brian Yang = Little Yu

Mao Zhao = Old Yu

Jessica Hecht = Randi

Ato Essandoh = Jay

David Shih = Norman

Nathaniel Geng = Stimson Cho

CRITICAL REVIEWS

PROS

The critical reaction to the movie was mostly positive for the romantic theme.

CONS

Some critics pointed the fingers on the lack of depth ending, probably too quick in resolving open issues that developed thru the entire movie with more intensity.

The movie was nominated for the Breakthrough Director Award at the 2005 Gotham Awards, the Viewer's Choice Award and the Best Actress Award for Michelle Krusiec at the 2005 Golden Horse Film Festival, and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film in Limited Release at the 2006 GLAAD Media Awards. Out of these, it won the Viewer's Choice Award at the 2005 Golden Horse Film Festival.

At the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards, Lynn Chen won the Outstanding Newcomer Award. Alice Wu also won the Visionary Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in 2005.

I have recently watched the movie on one of my Delta flights, thinking it was a recent release. The movie is enjoyable, although I am not sure I would necessarily suggest it as a key-milestone not to miss. It's a nice Chinese exercise, as it is half in English half in Chinese, though!

I do recognize that it's an interesting example of the Chinese concept of "saving the face", which could be good to watch to understand better about the cultural concept. And yet... the 2 themes (a pregnancy out of a marriage and a lesbian child) are so universal that I could see the story easily played by Italian actors (to refer to my own culture) and not see anything strange in the behavior of each character... this is to say that maybe these 2 themes are a mild example of the "losing the face" concept...

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SAVING FACE CONCEPT

Everyone is "expected to perform his/her role, according to the society/community/culture standards", not to bring shame to the family. Losing the face signifies being isolated by the society.

Interestingly, in some scenes, the characters cover their faces, as to hide from the shame: Wil hides her face under a mask, the way she's hiding her real sexual orientation; her mum wears sunglasses as to hide her pregnancy... on the other end, both break the rules: Wil is a surgeon, a women in career, while her mother rents porn movies...