SAVING FACE

Review by Michelle da Silva

There’s a reason why I don’t usually watch romantic dramadies. They usually take formulas that have previously produced box office hits and disguise them behind cross-over sitcom actresses as awkward leading ladies and “goofy blonde hunks” as, well, “goofy blonde hunks.” Emotional depth is often limited and conflicts and climaxes are trivially resolved. So, with this genre of cinematic depression growing exponentially (marked by every J. Lo film), I find it not surprising to see a subgenre spawning off in what appears to be the Eastern direction. I present to you the “ethnic romantic dramady.” Runaway hits like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Bend it like Beckham prove that the ethnic romantic dramady has become increasingly popular in the past few years. There is now another film to be added (or should I say, cast away) to this subgenre: Alice Wu’s Saving Face.

Wu’s film opens with a close-up of Michelle Krusiec’s mud-mask-encrusted face. She is purifying her face- a face that she’ll most likely be “saving” midway through the film. An alarm rings and Krusiec, who plays Wil Pang, rushes off to her ritualistic family gathering at a Chinese banquet hall. Wil plays the part of “the dutiful Chinese daughter” very well (modestly dressed, well-mannered, with a promising career in medicine). Every Friday, Wil ditches the O.R. for the banquet hall in Flushing, Queens, where she must tolerate her family’s insistence on finding her the perfect Chinese husband. Despite the efforts of all her “aunties and uncles,” Wil finds herself falling for a hot rebellious ballerina (Lynn Chen). Meanwhile, Wil’s mother, the widowed Ma, played by Chinese-cinema sweetheart Joan Chen, announces that she is pregnant but will not reveal the name of the father. Exiled by the Chinese community, Ma must move in with Wil, throwing her daughter’s life upside-down. Wil ultimately finds that she is the intersection between Old-World Chinese traditions and contemporary taboos, forcing her to fight for the girl she loves and the man who loves Ma.

The cast is comprised mainly of unknown actors, but they seem eager to please, providing overly animated facial expressions and cheesy jokes. Joan Chen is a dynamic Ma, and Michelle Krusiec’s performance as Wil is appropriately uncomfortable. Lynn Chen and Ato Essandoh (as the token African American neighbour) shine in supporting roles.

Saving Face marks the feature film directorial debut for Alice Wu. A Stanford University grad in comp-sci, Wu has previously directed the short film Trick or Treat (2002). This film is produced by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, and was last shown at this year’s InsideOut Film Festival in Toronto. Saving Face attempts to veer away from the traditional romantic dramady by dealing with homosexuality and its clash with Chinese traditions, but the basic plotline and the over-used jokes and taboos are enough proof that this film is made from recycled material. The film ends with that typical feeling of conflicts being merely brushed aside, forgotten and not really dealt with. Although Saving Face may cause some eyes to role and mouths to snicker, the film is a brave directorial debut for Wu and fits the bill for “ethnic romantic dramedy” perfectly.

Saving Face opens in Vancouver and Toronto June 24th.