The movie "Saving Face," is a realistic depiction of the Asian American experience covering the differences between 1st generation and 2nd generation Asian Americans, the homophobia exerted by Asian culture, and the racial interactions that take place between multiple ethnic groups. This movie is extremely unique in that Asians are not portrayed as kung fu masters or math geniuses, but instead they are seen as normal people or as "Americans".
The main character, Wil, works with white coworkers, has a black roommate and is also lesbian. In contrast, we see Wil's mother who only has Chinese friends and family and does not associate with other ethnicities. This is an extremely accurate representation of the relationships between these two generations as I can see parallels in my own life. Many of the discussions that took place between the mother and daughter resembled the same discussions that I watched happen between my own mother and grandmother. I think that the ideals that were held by the mother, which were mainly what we would consider to be racist, is a result of living in a society that was not has heterogenous. Given that these immigrants were living in China with mainly if not only Chinese citizens, they probably shared a sense of nationalism and maybe shared a fear of others. In the movie, Wil states that her mother only dates Chinese people when prompted to date a Korean. This may be a result of national pride and I think that some of these ideologies/principles are carried into other Asian cultures.
Another aspect that makes this movie unique, is that it tackles the intersectional identity of being a woman and being gay. I think that the movie pretty accurately portrays the homophobia represented by 1st generation Asians. One of the most powerful scenes in the whole movie was when Wil told her mom, "I love you and I am gay". Wil's mother's response was, "This is not possible. I am not a bad mother and you are not gay". In East Asian culture, homosexuality is generally considered to be a sin and I think that this shed light on an issue that is not often seen in film. However, I found it interesting that this movie displayed that the parents and grandparents had a "conditional" love. When the mother becomes pregnant, the grandfather essentially disowns her.
The race relations between Wil and her friends, although a minor aspect of the general story, speaks volumes on how Asians share the American identity. Wil doesn't act very different from the other non-Chinese characters. She goes to the roof to smoke with her black neighbor and she also talks through her problems with her white coworker. However, her mother exerts her cultural background onto her. In some ways, she switches from her own Chinese identity to her "American" identity.
The main character, Wil, works with white coworkers, has a black roommate and is also lesbian. In contrast, we see Wil's mother who only has Chinese friends and family and does not associate with other ethnicities. This is an extremely accurate representation of the relationships between these two generations as I can see parallels in my own life. Many of the discussions that took place between the mother and daughter resembled the same discussions that I watched happen between my own mother and grandmother. I think that the ideals that were held by the mother, which were mainly what we would consider to be racist, is a result of living in a society that was not has heterogenous. Given that these immigrants were living in China with mainly if not only Chinese citizens, they probably shared a sense of nationalism and maybe shared a fear of others. In the movie, Wil states that her mother only dates Chinese people when prompted to date a Korean. This may be a result of national pride and I think that some of these ideologies/principles are carried into other Asian cultures.
Another aspect that makes this movie unique, is that it tackles the intersectional identity of being a woman and being gay. I think that the movie pretty accurately portrays the homophobia represented by 1st generation Asians. One of the most powerful scenes in the whole movie was when Wil told her mom, "I love you and I am gay". Wil's mother's response was, "This is not possible. I am not a bad mother and you are not gay". In East Asian culture, homosexuality is generally considered to be a sin and I think that this shed light on an issue that is not often seen in film. However, I found it interesting that this movie displayed that the parents and grandparents had a "conditional" love. When the mother becomes pregnant, the grandfather essentially disowns her.
The race relations between Wil and her friends, although a minor aspect of the general story, speaks volumes on how Asians share the American identity. Wil doesn't act very different from the other non-Chinese characters. She goes to the roof to smoke with her black neighbor and she also talks through her problems with her white coworker. However, her mother exerts her cultural background onto her. In some ways, she switches from her own Chinese identity to her "American" identity.