The constant clashes of worldviews, values, and reference frames in Saving Face between different people highlight the paramount importance of adaptability and understanding as needed in a diverse immigrant society.
Three generations of Chinese Americans, all raised in different backgrounds and immersed in varying cultures, propel the exciting plot of the movie with their indisputable differences in character and values. While Wai Po brings up the Sino-Japanese War in every sentence, Wai Gong emphasizes his respectability as an educated professor and the patriarch of the family. While Ma almost gives up her true love trying to play the role of a dutiful daughter and a dependent woman, Wil struggles with her identity as a lesbian and with the virtually unbreakable silence that characterizes her mother-daughter relationship. At the same time, judgments within the tight-knit Chinese American community escalates tension that underlies the relationship between each person of the family. Inevitably, there are hurt feelings, high-volume fights, and mutual misunderstanding. Though the movie's ending can seem abrupt at the first glance, the ultimate happy ending indicates a universal desire to be understood, accepted, and loved.
In today's fast-paced world, the average person has an increasingly diverse experience. As in the movie, there are no quick fixes or cure-all remedies to avoid disputes or confrontations even with those who are closest to you, not to mention strangers. A fluid reference frame becomes inseparable from the willingness to listen, understand, and reconcile in order for each individual to build healthful relationships and communities in life.