p>Drumroll please? Ta daaaa?
Here's the movie every self-respecting Asian dyke has been dying
to see on the big screen, and for a very good reason.
Winning rave reviews around the world, Saving Face is
the sweet and tender comedy about a lesbian surgeon Wil (Michelle
Krusiec) who meets a foxy ballet dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen) at a
neighborhood gathering in New York. Their attraction is immediate
and intense, and soon they're jumping each other's bones. (The
boob shots are brief, but worth it?
Trouble begins when Wil's traditional mother (the serenely lovely
Joan Chen) comes to stay with her for a prolonged period of time.
Vivian tacitly urges Wil to come out of the closet and introduce
her to the mother. But Wil is afraid of the social and filial implications
of telling her mother that she's gay.
Playing like a sweeter, lighter and feminized version of Lee Ang's
The Wedding Banquet, Saving Face is written and
directed by lesbian filmmaker Alice Wu. She wrote the script partly
to reflect her own experiences of growing up gay in America and
coming out to her own Mum.
The material is obviously close to her heart, because so much of
the scenes and dialogue ring true. The actresses are terrific. As
the charming lesbian lovers, actresses Michelle and Lynn, make beautiful
music together. But the film's real coup must be Joan Chen, whose
subtle yet involving performance is possibly a career-best.
None of you — and we do mean NONE of you — have any
excuse for missing this film.
READ
Fridae People's exclusive interview with the highly articulate writer-director,
Alice Wu