Saving Face provides a funny yet affecting look at identities, experiences, and desires that seem, in the world that surrounds them, to conflict with one another. There is a mother, who all at once thinks of herself as solitary, distant, and traditional, but who is also deeply romantic, becoming pregnant with the child of a younger man who she’s come to love. Then there is the daughter, Wil, a girl from the same Chinese orthodox family as her mother, but who struggles with her lesbian identity as well as other aspects of her young life in America that offend her parents and grandparents.
The movie delves into these complicating features, portraying the characters as both contradictory(Wil is a doctor who smokes) and ever-evolving. This characterization is important when thinking about how people take the time to meticulously craft their identity in ways that are inherently meaningful to them, even if it appears confounding from an outside perspective. Wil can be intensely frustrated with her mother for not talking to her about the pregnancy or emotions, but still wind up experiencing the other side of the issue when dealing with her own feelings for Vivian. In the end, everything works out for everyone. However, having faced trials of character in many forms, no one is exactly the same as they were before. While Wil and her mother retained key aspects of themselves, they also demonstrated that both the way they think about the world and the way they think about themselves can change dramatically.
The movie delves into these complicating features, portraying the characters as both contradictory(Wil is a doctor who smokes) and ever-evolving. This characterization is important when thinking about how people take the time to meticulously craft their identity in ways that are inherently meaningful to them, even if it appears confounding from an outside perspective. Wil can be intensely frustrated with her mother for not talking to her about the pregnancy or emotions, but still wind up experiencing the other side of the issue when dealing with her own feelings for Vivian. In the end, everything works out for everyone. However, having faced trials of character in many forms, no one is exactly the same as they were before. While Wil and her mother retained key aspects of themselves, they also demonstrated that both the way they think about the world and the way they think about themselves can change dramatically.