Saving Face follows Wilhelmina ("Wil"), a young Chinese American surgeon living in New York. The main plot revolves around her mother spontaneously coming to live with her for being pregnant out of wedlock (and thus kicked out of her father's house) while overcoming the difficulties of being closet while dating her lover, Vivian. Wil struggles with allocating time between her mother (Gao) who is shunned by the rest of the Chinese American community of Flushing for being pregnant and unwed and thus has come to live with Wil.
Forced by her mother to come to the typical gathering at Planet China amongst family friends, it is apparent that Wil is closeted to her mother and the rest of the older adults. Although her mother has plans to set her up with a son of a friend, Wil is instantly drawn to Vivian, the daughter of one of the Chinese mothers who recently got a divorce. They accidentally run into each other at the hospital where Wil works, only to discover that Vivian's father is actually Wil's boss.
Eventually, Wil comes home one night to discover her mother waiting for her at the steps: Gao has been kicked out by her father for being pregnant out of wedlock, bring shame to not only her reputation but the whole family name. Completely shocked, Wil asks her mother for the identity of the father, but she refuses to discuss the matter.
Vivian invites Wil to one of her dance shows with a letter left on the vending machine. After the show, the two hang out. Vivian reveals the fact that they had met once before when they were 8 and 9 years old; Vivian kissed Wil on the nose after she rescued her from bullies; Wil running away afterwards. Vivian and Wil later goes to Vivian's house, and the two share a kiss on the floor.
The couple proceed to go on several dates, but Wil is afraid of kissing Vivian in public, which causes tension in the relationship. Meanwhile, Gao goes on several dates in order to find a man to father her child but remains largely uninterested. However, she starts to debate on whether or not to accept the affections of Cho, one of the men whom had liked her for 15 years and is willing to father the child as his own.
On Vivian's request, Wil presents Vivian to her mother as a friend so that they can meet. The three share an awkward dinner. It is revealed that her mother knows of her homosexuality, but is in denial of it.
Later, Vivian reveals to Wil that she was accepted into a ballet program in Paris and still considering the offer. Unable to admit her feelings and be selfish, 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 ignores Vivian for the next couple of days and then breaks up with her, knowing taking the offer is best for Vivian's career.
Gao finally decides to accept the marriage proposal from Cho. At the wedding, Wil interrupts with a love note from the father of the child saying how much he loves her and want to marry her despite their large age gap. It is revealed that Wil's mother refuses to admit his identity due to the fact that he is the son of the pharmacist, who has been sending her secret notes under the guise of giving her Chinese medicine throughout the film.
After realizing that love dominates over societal expectations, Wil rushes to the airport to catch Vivian. Wil apologizes, but Vivian challenges Wil to kiss her to prove her sincerity. Unable to public display her love out of fear, Wil is left at the terminal as Vivian leaves for Paris.
Three months later, Wil goes to another party at Planet China, and Gao is now is a couple with the father of her child. Although sullen, Wil looks up to see Vivian, who has come back into town to see her mother. Wil approaches her and asks her to dance, even though there's no music, and finally kisses her on the dance floor in front of everyone at the restaurant. As Gao and Vivian's mother smile at each other while giving a thumbs up, revealing that they planned for them to reunite, some people leave in disgust at their behaviour. The film ends with the two girls saying "Fuck 'em", while everyone else joins in to dance.
Director:
Alice Wu
Stars: Joan Chen,
Michelle Krusiec,
Lynn Chen
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