Saving Face (2004 film)
| Saving Face | |
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Saving Face film poster
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| Directed by | Alice Wu |
| Produced by |
Will Smith James Lassiter Teddy Zee |
| Written by | Alice Wu |
| Starring |
Michelle Krusiec Joan Chen Lynn Chen |
| Music by | Anton Sanko |
| Cinematography | Harlan Bosmajian |
| Edited by |
Susan Graef Sabine Hoffmann |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
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Saving Face is a 2004 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Alice Wu. The film focuses on Wilhelmina, a young Chinese-American surgeon; her unwed, pregnant mother; and her dancer girlfriend.
The name itself is a reference to the pan-East Asian social concept of face.
Wilhelmina ("Wil"), a successful young Chinese American surgeon, lives in New York City. Forced by her mother Gao to come to the typical gathering at Planet China amongst family friends, Wil is closeted to her mother and the rest of the older adults. Her mother has plans to set her up with a son of a friend. Wil is drawn to Vivian, the daughter of one of the Chinese mothers who recently got a divorce. They run into each other at the hospital where Wil works, only to discover that Vivian's father is Wil's boss. Vivan and her father have a tense relationship since Vivian is currently pursuing her love of modern dance instead of the more respectable ballet.
Wil comes home to discover her mother has been kicked out by her grandfather for being pregnant out of wedlock, bringing shame to the family. Wil asks for the identity of the father, but Gao refuses to answer. From then on, Gao lives with Wil. Vivian invites Wil to one of her dance shows and after the show, the two hang out. Vivian reveals the fact that they had met once before when they were children; Vivian kissed Wil on the nose after Wil rescued her from bullies; Wil ran away afterwards. Vivian and Wil go to Vivian's apartment and the two kiss.
The couple goes on several dates, but Wil is afraid of kissing Vivian in public. Set up by Wil, Gao goes on several dates to find a man to father her child but remains uninterested. She debates on whether to accept the affections of Cho, a man who has loved her for 15 years and is willing to father the child. On Vivian's request, Wil presents Vivian to her mother as a friend so that they can meet and the three share an awkward dinner. It is revealed later that her mother knows of her homosexuality, but is in denial of it.
Vivian reveals to Wil that she was accepted into a prestigious ballet program in Paris and is considering the offer. Wil congratulates Vivian and gives her encouragement to accept the offer. While Vivian still debates on the offer, Vivian's father speaks to Wil and talks her into convincing Vivian to accept the offer. Wil then breaks up with her, knowing the offer is best for Vivian's career.
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