Slideshow
SAVING FACE
U.S., 2004
Directed by Alice Wu
With Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, Lynn Chen
In English, Mandarin and Shanghainese with English subtitles
Approx. 97 min. 35mm.
Wilhelmina (Wil, played by Michelle Krusiec) is a Chinese American surgeon and model daughter. When her single mother Hwei-Lan Gao’s (Joan Chen) unexpected pregnancy forces them to move in together, Wil is caught between her own blossoming love affair with ballerina Vivian (Lynn Chen) and pleasing her mother’s every whim (as well as finding her a suitable husband). "SAVING FACE is a delightful queer rom-com — and a love letter to Asian moms... Often praised as a boundary-breaking, sapphic love story between two Asian American women. It is also a classic diaspora story with protagonists who find themselves caught between two worlds: the traditional values of the motherland versus an individualized, Western way of life." – Terry Nguyen, Vox
Reviews
“A refreshing tale of queer-straight solidarity against patriarchy and a repudiation of fear, shame, pride and prejudice.”
– Jinghua Qian, The Guardian
"SAPPH-O-RAMA forever"
– Alice Wu