Movie Recommendation

[morgan_dhu]

Well, it didn't get any Academy Award nominations, but the other night I saw a really good movie: Saving Face. I understand it made somewhat of a name for itself at the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals, and deservedly so.

The focal characters are Wil, a single, Chinese-American woman who is a doctor and a closeted lesbian and her mother, a widow who has lived her life exclusively within the Chinese community. The film revolves around their relationships with each other, and with the members of their family and community - including an aspiring dancer, Vivien, who seems determined to get Wil out of the closet and into her life.

Delightful story with several quite unexpected plot developments, well acted, with several relative newcomers and the divine Joan Chen playing the part of Wil's mother, with powerful but subtle direction from Alice Wu, who also wrote the script. And lots of fun.

Comments

[lovessong.livejournal.com]

I'll second that -- I saw it about a month ago and loved it. I thought it was hilarious and moving, without being cliched. I think a big part of that is the dialogue, which is snappy and also very realistic.

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Yes, great script, very realistic and very smart at the same time. Who cares if half of it is in Mandarin, the performances were so expressive...