Overview
A heartfelt exploration of love and family amidst cultural expectations and personal truths.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- sincere
- date night
- pride month
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film charming, tender, and gently funny in its treatment of queer romance and Chinese-American cultural pressures, while noting predictable pacing and an overly contrived finale.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wil's relationship with Vivian conflicts with the expectations imposed by her Chinese-American family and community.
Ma's pregnancy and Wil's sexuality expose contrasting expectations across three generations of Chinese Americans.
Wil searches for a Chinese bachelor to marry Ma after her grandfather demands that Ma return remarried or explain her pregnancy.
The romance unfolds between Manhattan and Flushing while connecting lesbian identity to Chinese-American family and community customs.
Films like Saving Face, and why
The Wedding Banquet
queer romance, cultural expectations, and warm comedic drama
Saving Face
lgbtq romance negotiating family tradition and social pressure
Carol
tender lesbian romance shaped by cultural and familial constraints
Bend It Like Beckham
romantic comedy centered on identity, family, and cross-cultural expectations
Movie Details
- Director
- Alice Wu
- Release Date
- 2004-09-12
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (276)
Cast
- Joan Chen
- Michelle Krusiec
- Lynn Chen
- Jin Wang
- Guang Lan Koh
- Ato Essandoh
- Nathanel Geng
- Mao Zhao
- Brian Yang
- Louyong Wong
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Saving Face about?
- A tender lesbian romantic comedy about a Chinese-American surgeon balancing her love for a dancer with her pregnant mother's return to a judgmental family.
- What is Saving Face like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Saving Face as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Saving Face violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Saving Face.
- What did critics think of Saving Face?
- Critics broadly found the film charming, tender, and gently funny in its treatment of queer romance and Chinese-American cultural pressures, while noting predictable pacing and an overly contrived finale.
- Which films are like Saving Face?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wedding Banquet, Saving Face, Carol, and Bend It Like Beckham.
- How long is Saving Face?
- Saving Face runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Saving Face?
- In United States, Saving Face streams on fuboTV, Howdy Amazon Channel.
