SAVING FACE

Reviewed by Chris Paffendorf, SDAFF writer

Immigrants have always found difficulties when the culture of their adoptive country clashes with the ideals and expectations from their native land. What may seem perfectly normal and accepted in their new home can be shameful and disrespectful when compared to the standards that have been passed down from generation to generation in the land of their birth. For Chinese-Americans, centuries-old traditions and values are a sharp contrast to a more permissive and progressive American lifestyle. Director Alice Wu takes on this conflict directly with her first feature-length film, SAVING FACE.

Joan Chen as Ma, the widow who unexpectedly gets pregnant [Sony Pictures Classics]

Young surgical resident Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec) is dealing with situations familiar to first generation Chinese-Americans. She is concentrating on her career while her well-meaning relatives pressure her to find a husband. We quickly learn about the social group Wil's family associates with, and how they look down on American ambivalence toward divorce and infidelity. The first major shake-up in Wil's life begins when her widowed mother Ma (Joan Chen) shows up on her doorstep, to announce she is moving in. Even more shocking is that her mom is pregnant (at age 48), and refuses to disclose the identity of her unborn child's father. Naturally, this brings great shame to her family and friends, and Wil's grandfather cuts off all ties to his daughter, unless she marries the father of the baby she's carrying.

Vivian (Lynn Chen) and Wil (Michelle Krusiec) happy together [Sony Pictures Classics]

Wil has romantic issues of her own, namely Vivian (Lynn Chen), the daughter of the chief of surgery at the hospital. The attraction between the two is almost immediate, and they begin a torrid love affair. However, Wil is reluctant to be open about her lesbian partner, which causes great strain on their relationship. Her respect for her family and ancestry is in direct conflict with the happiness she feels about finally finding true love. Will she sacrifice her relationship with Vivian, just to avoid making her family the target of the gossiping Mah-Jongg ladies?

Alice Wu has created a story that will resonate with Chinese-American audiences, and really all Americans of Asian descent. While issues such as homosexuality and having children out of wedlock are still viewed somewhat negatively in the United States, they are not nearly as taboo as to they are to the cultures of many immigrant families. In communities as tight-knit as the Chinese-Americans, everyone is pretty much involved with everyone else's affairs and secrets are not kept secret for very long. Wil remarks, "One billion Chinese, two degrees of separation."

[Sony Pictures Classics]

SAVING FACE shows how immigrants can lose aspects of their culture, and how they�ll make every effort to hold on to the values instilled in them for generations, even if it is not politically correct to do so. The character of Vivian most clearly represents this "loss of culture," with her halting Mandarin, open lesbianism, and unapologetic pursuit of a career that goes against her father's wishes. Through the eyes of Wil's family, Vivian is literally and figuratively the wrong partner for Wil. While it may seem obvious to condemn Wil's grandfather and mother for their refusal to accept their own children's lifestyles, it is more than just one person or just one family that is at stake. It is centuries of morals and standards that they feel are eroded away by the ever-increasing effect of Western values on the entire world.

We also see how intolerance perpetuates itself, with the parallels of Wil and her mother. Ma is the first to be ostracized when her pregnancy is revealed, and one assumes that she would understand the humiliation and be more tolerant of her daughter. Yet when Wil finally discloses her relationship with Vivian, her mother reacts nearly the exact same way as her own father did earlier in the film. Likewise, both mother and daughter intentionally deflect and dodge the questions directed at their respective situations. In a recurring theme, Ma is addicted to Chinese soap operas, conveniently ignoring the rather soap opera-like life she is presently experiencing.

Joan Chen is wonderful as always, but this is really Michelle Krusiec's breakthrough performance, one that will hopefully result in more prominent roles for her. She expertly expresses the cross-culture conflict, as she desperately wants to be open about her love for Vivian, yet equally loves her family (intolerance and all).

SAVING FACE is both entertaining and heartbreaking, and I hope the film is able to reach more than just the Asian-American community. With the exception of an epilogue that seems almost tacked-on and slightly contradictory to the first 90 minutes, Alice Wu deftly unites the issues of family, culture clash, single motherhood, love and homosexuality without taking any easy ways out. Top-notch performances from the entire cast along with a multi-dimensional script combine for an intelligent and thought-provoking cinematic experience.