SAVING FACE

San Francisco Premiere

USA 2004 | 96mins | 35mm Color | English & Mandarin w/E.S.

In person: Director Alice Wu, producers Teddy Zee and James Lassiter, and actors Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen

Exuberant, sexy and utterly charming, SAVING FACE marks a triumphant feature debut for San Jose-born-and-raised Alice Wu, who breathes life—in all its bittersweet glory—and compassion into this inspiring romantic comedy about living life honestly amidst the expectations of a traditional community.

Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec) is a successful young surgeon and a dutiful daughter, but also—to the chagrin of her 48-year-old widowed Ma (Joan Chen)—still single. During weekly socials in the tightly knit Chinese community of Flushing, Queens, Ma and her chatty cronies nudge eligible bachelors toward Wil, but her eyes are fixed instead on a gorgeous young woman, Vivian (Lynn Chen), who smiles back. One fortuitous encounter, some stammering and a few clumsily romantic (and steamy) moments later, Wil finds herself in love with Vivian, yet unable to come out to her own mother. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when it's Ma who suddenly shows up at Wil's doorstep pregnant, unwilling to name the father and disowned by her own parents. Now mother and daughter must both decide whether to continue "saving face," at the expense of their hearts.

Wu's deep affection for her characters imbues every scene with heart-melting tenderness, while Joan Chen's (THE LAST EMPEROR) comedic performance is a revelation, baring just enough vulnerability to elicit both laughter and heartbreak. The film's deft blend of humor and uplifting humanity—not to mention its subject matter—recalls that of another Asian American classic, Ang Lee's THE WEDDING BANQUET, but in SAVING FACE, there's no wise father watching over Wil and her Ma. Instead they watch over each other, their wistful gaze finding comfort in the other and discovering an embracing warmth that makes this one of the most touching films of the year.

—Taro Goto