Alice Wu’s charmer of a film does for Chinese girls what Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet did for Taiwanese boys. Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec) is a young Chinese-American woman whose life is turned upside down when her widowed mother (Joan Chen) comes to stay. Actually, she’s come to live after Wil’s grandfather threw her out, disgusted that his middle-aged daughter is pregnant, unmarried and unrepentant. It puts a spanner in Wil’s blossoming romance with Vivian (Lyn Chen) since Ma wants her perfect daughter to meet a good Chinese boy. So begins a tri-generational clash of culture in which everyone tries hard to do the right thing. Saving Face is notable for splendid performances, particularly those of Chen (The Last Emperor) and Krusiec (Cursed). They hold the film together which occasionally drifts into fortune-cookie territory before a rousing finale.

None the less, Wu leavens the story with humour, pathos and a film-lover’s sense of delight (note Ma looking for a Chinese video, or an homage to The Graduate). Saving Face is an accomplished, thoughtful story that keeps a pleasing distance from Big Fat Ethnic Family movies. With such a rich story that includes two generations of closeted women, Wu does not resort to sitcomery. Nor does she obsess about Wil’s lesbianism; while crucial to the narrative, it remains part of the fabric. Broadsides are saved for attacking gossipy elders who squark about how much better things would be if only their offspring showed respect. This sense of balance is the guts of Saving Face, a poignant comedy about heart and how to follow it. 

// COLIN FRASER