Saving Face | | Cast : | Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen | | Director : | Alice Wu | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | , 2004 | | DVD Released Date : | October 18, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | awesome movie with great social commentary | Content
 | first of all i cannot a believe a movie this cool came to my backwards town like lubbock, tx. this is a big city movie where the people there are cultured and open. let me tell you there are not many of those people here in lubbock. but i digress, i do not know a whole lot about the chinese culture but this movie gives me a good idea about what it is like to grow up in such a rigid culture. the expectations of a family can be so weighty and lofty that you will do anything to seek their approval. that is just what the main character does in this movie. but the interesting part is when the mother turns out to be the disappointment in the eyes of her parents. it was a very big surprise in the movie, i wont reveal it here, but the wrath laid upon her was very sad and tragic. plus it yields a very big surprise at the end of the movie that is really funny and heart felt. there is also the lesbian aspect of the movie, i really dont think that homosexuality is greatly accepted in the chinese culture so it is almost understandable why the main character hides who she really is from her family. i can only imagine the wrath she would incure from her grandfather, probably about the same he unleashes on his daughter. but there is a really sweet love story between the two women. and it really shows the social constraints people put on themselves, and also reveals how there are so many different levels of comfort for so many different people. one is sorta closeted and kinda hides within herself, she accepts who she is but at the same time does not necessarily make widely known who she is. the other character id the free spirit that lives freely and openly. it is the classic opposites attract story. this movie is well conceived and i really enjoyed it. i cant wait to getit on dvd. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 30, 2005 | | Summary | Probably the best movie I've seen all year... | Content
| Saving Face is yet one more example of how wonderfully rich independent films are compared to their blockbuster counterparts. This film is so honest in its portrayal of characters - how they are awkward in their humanity, how they painfully try to keep their secrets, and how they interact with each other with evident and raw love. There were great performances by stars Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, and Lynn Chen. They, and the entire cast, were believable and endearing. Another superb aspect of Saving Face was the positive portrayal of a lesbian relationship - not at all gratuitous, and focusing more on simply how normal it is with the same trials and tribulations of any budding romance. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 30, 2005 | | Summary | Funny and poignant | Content
| I recently had the immense pleasure of seeing "Saving Face" a few days ago. I must say it is refreshing to see a Chinese film where the writing is consistent and good as is the acting. What makes "Saving Face" even more special is that two of the main characters Wil (Michelle Krusiec) and Vivian (Lynn Chen)are lovers. To see two Asian women as lovers on the big screen is quite the momentous occasion for Asian and homsexual people alike.
The film takes place in Flushings, New York. Wil is a surgical resident who is forced to take in her mother Ma (Joan Chen), a 48 year old widow, when it is revealed that she is pregnant and refuses to tell her father who the father of her unborn child is. Ma is disowned therefore ends up moving in with Wil. This happens just right around the time when Wil meets Vivian (Lynn Chen) and begins to fall for her.
I found the writing of the film very consistent and does a good job of covering all the bases from Wil's relationships with both Ma and Vivian. This is the first Chinese film that I have seen in a year where the writing is consistent (unlike "Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers"). I thought Wil's struggle to try to decide to either follow her heart or to conform to the expectations of her family. She eventually makes that decision in the film. While the question of who was the father of Ma's unborn child was in the film, the issue did not take front burner and was merely part of the overall scheme of the film for both Ma and Wil which was to be happy or to conform to their Chinese roots which basically is the overall storyline of the film. Ma and Wil have to decide to whether to deny their happiness by conforming to their Chinese roots or to embrace the personal happiness they had discovered.
All the actors put in excellent performances. Joan Chen was extremely funny as Ma. Her scene in the video store was quite funny. I also loved her comments about Wil's neighbor Jay when he comes over for dinner. She is unapologetic and yet honest but Jay doesn't know what she is saying since Ma doesn't speak english. While it does seem unbelievable that Wil is a surgeon in training, somehow the idea works thanks to Michelle Krusiec. Lynn Chen simply shines in this film as the stunning ballerina Vivian.
As an Asian woman, I am thrilled to see a film that focuses around Asians hit the theatres. I am even more thrilled that the writing is excellent as were the performances. While I do not go for romantic comedies in general, "Saving Face" is one of the few romantic comedies that I enjoyed. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 27, 2005 | | Summary | Joan Chen Gave the Funniest Performance of Her Career! | Content
| Having seen Joan Chen in various Chinese movies and Hollywood movies throughout the last two decades, I must say this is certainly her funniest performance that will be remembered along with other roles in films like Red Rose, White Rose, and Tempation of A Monk, and The Last Emperor. The semi-retired actress turned director makes her comeback in an American/Chinese film with a role that is so delirously funny, sweet, and touching! For the first time in an American film, she delivered all her lines in Mandarin, making this bilingual sexy coming of age dramedy an authetic and delightful experience. If you thought you loved The Joy Luck Club, then this film is definitely going to be your cup of tea.
This film deals with single motherhood, lesbianism, cultural clash, mid-life crisis/pregnancy/marriage, and breaking all the rules of the old traditions. Joan Chen(Ma) is a single mother in NYC, and she speaks no English. Her successful surgeon daughther Wilhemina(Michelle Krusiec) is a closeted lesbian who is on the verge of coming out to family and relatives. She eventually meets Vivian(Lynn Chen), an aspiring modern ballet dancer whom she falls madly in love with. Meanwhile, the relatives are trying to match her up with some guys.
While she's going through some chaos in her love life, Ma is also having some dramatic issues to face. She starts to rent porno movies, and got herself pregnant by her secret boyfriend. Now she and her daughter would have to somehow come together to figure out how to unveal all the surprises to the friends and relatives. At the same time, Vivian is getting a job offer to dance in Europe, and it's hard for her to make up her mind to go or stay. Then in order to cover the truth about the father of the baby, the heavily pregnant Ma goes on husband hunting, so that she will be married before the baby is born. Will the mother and daughter be able save their FACE and be happy together with their folks?
Although Joan Chen was quite unglamorous in most her screentime, she was still very beautiful, especially when she was all dolled up for "the blind dates" and the wedding. Her performance is so superior compare to Krusiec and Lynn. The two younger actresses had enough chemistry and heartfelt moments.
I was so glad to have seen this film at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, and it was amazing to see the director, cast members, and I got to meet Miss Chen after the movie. I spoke to her in Mandarin, and it was an unforgetable moment. I know she's going to receive rave reviews for this film, and I hope it will be a hit! |
| Rating | | | Date | June 23, 2005 | | Summary | Saving Face | Content
| Touched all sides of a strict culture.
Had me wondering, had me wanting to get
up and cheer, but most of all it had
me laughing so hard. This a surprise
winner in my book. |
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