Saving Face

Part of our Rainbow Reels Film Talk Series!

A queer romantic comedy set in vibrant, multicultural New York City, Alice Wu’s irresistible feature debut breathed fresh life into the genre by combining snappy dialogue and a swooning love story with a poignant narrative about a mother and daughter coming to terms with each other. Just as Wil (Michelle Krusiec), a harried young surgical resident, begins a promising romance with the flirtatious dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen), her life is turned upside down when her more traditional Chinese mother (Joan Chen) – unwed and unexpectedly pregnant – moves in with her, forcing both women to confront the generational and cultural barriers that have long troubled their relationship. Both embracing and cleverly subverting rom-com conventions, Wu delivers a bighearted ode to the Chinese American diaspora, and the liberating joy of living one’s truth.

Presented in English and Mandarin with English subtitles.

Laura McVey

Laura McVey is a librarian, writer, and lifelong cinephile. She was born and raised in Hamilton, and earned a Liberal Arts degree at the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario. Laura is passionate about making connections through the medium of film, and hopes that the Rainbow Reels series will help expose filmgoers to queer stories from all over the world.