[Spoilers] Saving Face (2004) — Film of the Week

submitted by piylot from (self.Lesbians)

Did you like the film? Did you like the ending? Discuss below I'm personally interested- is anyone here from China, or a similar culture, & what did you think about their values were shown, eg the concept of 'Saving Face'? OTT or accurate?

Next week's film is D.E.B.S. (2004)

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[–]BonesReds 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh hell yes. I just love romantic comedies and this is one of the only lesbian movies I've seen that doesn't pull any weird shit or involve men unnecessarily or have any hint of male gaze. It's just a good, fun movie! The acting is phenomenal too.

Alice Wu knocked it out of the park.

[–][deleted] 7 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I loved this film! I think I cried when I watched it first haha. I thought the relationship between her and her mum was so funny but they also care for each other a lot which is nice to see. I'll have to give it another watch :)

[–]begonia_skies 7 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

Cute and sweet film. I loved it back in the day when it was released, I was in college and recently came to terms with being a lesbian, so movies like this one were really my "gay friends" since I didn't actually have any real ones, lol. I think the side plot with her mother really added depth to the storyline outside of the meet cute, get together, tension rising miscommunication/climax, and then the resolve. I loved that this was directed by an Asian-American woman and focused on the Asian-American community in NYC because lord knows their stories so rarely get told in film. I remember being really excited about this director and wanted to see more from her. Turns out it would be nearly 15 years before I would see another release from her, The Half of It, which I didn't love, but won't digress into that here, ha!

[–]BonesReds 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Agreed about everything. I was really excited about seeing her new film too but I just couldn't enjoy it that much. It might be because I'm not a teenager anymore so it's harder to relate to those kinds of stories? Or it could be because they involve a man in it for little reason imo. Either way, Saving Face was excellent, especially for her first screenplay.

[–]begonia_skies 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Yeah, that definitely may be why I also did not really get that into The Half of It. I think, for me, there were some storyline choices that I just couldn't get behind and I felt the script overall was pretty weak. Also did not understand the choice to spend so much time "teaching" the male character how to be a person and have a conversation, WHY do women always have to fill this role, even in a "lesbian" movie we are resigned to spending copious amounts of time helping men grow, bleh. Okay, I'll stop derailing this forum on Alice Wu's Netflix film, lol.

[–]Innisfree 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (2 children)

Nah nah nah, let's keep on derailing it :D I can hear the sirens, but only from a distance.

You make great points!

"teaching" the male character how to be a person and have a conversation, WHY do women always have to fill this role

I recently had an epiphany related to this. My favorite fairy tale as a kid was Beauty and the Beast and only now I got some of its message (better late than never, lol).

I think it's an allegory of the woman's prescribed role in the marriage. She is supposed to civilize her husband, make his life more beautiful and less beastly, if you will. The same idea was expressed by the Greek philosophers, and way before them I'm sure. So we are right to be miffed.

[–]begonia_skies 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yes! Beauty and the Beast was originally written during a time when arranged marriage was common in France and their suitors may have appeared "beastly" to young women. The author wrote Beauty and the Beast to convey the message that with some love and kindness, even the most beastly of men can turn into a beautiful prince, which of course is not how that works at all. Hollywood has really run the nonsensical idea that "good women" can change "bad boys" into the ground, and if you really pull back the onion it's a really dangerous message to send because a lot of the "bad boys" express a lot of controlling and abusive behavioral patterns.

[–]Innisfree 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ha! Love it when we can trace these connections between different time periods and how ideas change through them or not :)

Well put - Hollywood's model seems good for running things into the ground, including the bad boy myth.

I'll pop out and read about that author of Beauty and the Beast, she sounds like an interesting character. Cheers! :)

Edit: just a second thank you - found an article expounding on what you said, for those interested. The sheer amount of messages to girls on what will happen if they disobey arranged marriages and the like, is shocking. There's also an insightful parallel that can be drawn between the myths of Cupid and Psyche (one of the older iterations of Beauty and the Beast) and Orpheus and Eurydice.

[–]Innisfree 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

All of this, except I haven't seen The Half of It. But yeah, Alice Wu is boss.

[–]begonia_skies 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

You should check it out if you have Netflix. It's pretty cute, but it was a one time watch for me and there were some choices in the storyline that were... a bit weird to me. But a lot of people I know really liked it so maybe it's just me!

[–]Innisfree 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've checked out the trailer. As per your advice, It looks sweet. I just might be a bit old for coming of age stories but I'm glad ppl out there can see themselves on screen. Diversity is important.

[–]Lemonwater 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes I loved the side plot with the mom to mix up the meet cute storyline!

[–]SailorMoon2020 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What is OTT? Although I've lived in China, have friends and ex-girlfriends of various Asian heritage, I won't speak on their experience.

Either way, Will Smith was quite ahead of his time to produce a film like this. Considering he would go on to produce The Karate Kid(2010), I wonder if he enjoys Chinese culture? I'm also curious to know why the director of this film took such a long break from movie making until recently with her Netflix movie?

The movie does take us into Chinese culture from the point of view of those who are first generation. Various parts of the film are in Chinese Mandarin. Sex and sexuality at the time this film was made was still taboo. So the scene where the mother is watching porn and hides it hurriedly when her daughter comes home, is comical and possibly relatable to some.

There's no sex scene and the story does have some what of a cliché since the two main characters known each other since they were kids, and even shared a innocent kiss with one another.

The relationship she and the mother have with the black friend is realistic, comical, and relatable once more. Since China is a homogeneous environment, and the time this movie came out, still very much closed off to the world, there was a lot of ignorance and curiosity of those of different races, especially the black race due to the pigmentation of the skin. Such as the mother's comment about soy sauce.

I'm writing this review based on my memory because when I was a kid, this was the first movie I watched that involved female homosexuality. Hopefully my memory is still accurate.

[–]Dravidian 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Saving face is my favorite! It's so cute.

[–]soundsituation 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Super sweet movie. If you haven't yet seen Alice Wu's most recent film, The Half of It, I'd strongly recommend it - it's even better in my opinion.

[–]ShotTopic 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The Half of It, to me, is more about the friendship with the guy than the romance with the girl, but I still super enjoyed it.

[–]soundsituation 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Good point, Saving Face spends a lot more time on irl interaction between just the two leads; it is a more straightforward romance. I think what I liked so much about The Half of It was the slow burn aspect. By the time Ellie and Aster really end up alone together it feels like the most intense flammable love, and I think the inclusion of several other well-developed characters/relationships made the overall story feel more real to me for some reason.

Both quality, though, and I should revisit Saving Face because it's been awhile.