princebansal1982 Saving Face is your usual coming out story about acceptance. There is another side plot thrown in which nicely matches the main story.It has a good story with likable characters. Most of the actors have done a good job. Joan Chen is the only one who shines. I was disappointed with performance of Michelle Krusiec though. She is the main lead and has the maximum screen time. I don't think that she was able to do justice to her character. Though it is billed as a romantic movie, I felt that the romance between the two leads was not fully explored. Despite its flaws, Saving Face is an engaging tale. And if you like romantic movies you should give it a go.

jkujo Love between women is simply so pure and graceful, and it may not always be appropriate nor impartial to call them lesbians as the Occidental cultures have been labelling them. Man's love may include a portfolio of materialistic prosperity but there always be some area left out such as basis for a perfect equality which is essential for their sense of mutual belonging and a higher sense of harmony ultimately leading to spiritual unity that women vow to each other. I personally can not deny venerable deference of any mentioned qualities that we men can not compete that of women. It is invalid to deny that they have innate ability to embellish one another with sublime grace. I would certainly encourage if your own daughter fell in love with another woman, why can't you accept that woman as a member of extended family? Reward and contribution to the humanity is immense! I have always wondered why the majority of films about woman's love had to end in tragedy unless there is a motivation to depict and criticise the cruelty of political agenda of the nation in effect during a period where scenario was written to criticise a dictator such as Chairman Mao, or worse yet when director is affiliated with the conservative financiers or with a political party where he or she belonged to, to supplant the idea on audience that it is wrong for any woman to love another woman hence the punishment is inevitable. When such scheme is in effect, how true and natural women's right to love can be accomplished free from delusion or deception?Chinese films from main land have always showed us the singled out attacks only against women throughout recent history, and how these women were ill-reputed in China. I view such favouritism practiced also constitute a serious crime against humanity in contrast to men's rights (including same-sex relationship practiced between ancient emperors and his knights or lord chamberlains or lord regents) and its outcome as early as 1600 B.C. during Liu dynasty, Wei dynasty and Han dynasty are all well documented They even have had the most bizarre customs procuring catamite (pederastic relationship as bed mate) for sovereign prince . The economic impact resulting from the emperor willing to compromise the estate and wealth to sustain such extravagant relationship could be so large that could not be compared with any minimal impact that the relationship between women can likely to have caused to the community has always remained negligibly modest if not been none. What about for women's rights? Shamefully poor in comparison with other neighbouring nations in Far East, with Japan in particular? I grew up in Kyoto, Japan. Contrarily to common belief, before the paternalistic authoritarianism ever had any chance to come in effect in Japan, there were four contiguous centuries, a long historic period called the Heï An Era (794 - 1185 A.D. meaning the time for peace and tranquillity) where contemporary feminist scholars including art, poetry, and literature flourished in Japanese Imperial Court. It is often considered the peak of the Japanese culture particularly in women scholars. I have actually seen a 900 years old priceless byobu (silk panel folding screen) with two young lovely court ladies in waiting wearing summer Kimono attires) holding their hands on Great Gojo Bridge watching fireworks together on a mid-summer evening. I have always been a straight male but I could not help but so impressed by its poetry like beauty. There exists a court diary written by a high ranking court lady in waiting of noble birth referencing her adoration on sovereign princess whom she served with explicit words like "moist lips", 'full figure", "beautiful breasts", "silky skin", "perfect complexion" time after times in her diary. Traditionally those positions were monopolised by the daughters of Fujiwara, Taira, Konoye or Kujo Families. Women were allowed to sleep in the same bedroom, to bath together and to enjoy themselves much more openly in Japan before the dark age. Sadly in term of humanity, 1900's China was 900 years behind from it's neighbouring country Japan in term of woman's rights.Since the beginning of civilisation, philosophers, psychologists, many scholars and like had debated against the superiority of love that a woman can offer to all of man kinds (to both men and to women). I strongly believe that of women are definitely superior to the others. Since the majority of us do not experience temporary loss of vision or complete loss of consciousness due to deep sedation for major surgery such as open heart or open skull procedures. Using artificial Heart and Lung machine, often the heart is removed outside the sternum whilst surgeon can work on. Such a procedures can cause tremendous trauma to your psyche. It is not unusual for patient and nurse to develop an almost like loving attachment to each other from the moment the nurse transfers you from a rolling bed to a recovery bed, then calling your name and caressing you as if rescuing you from desolated realm of unconscious. If you had compared it with the same task performed by male surgical assistants at operating room , you will become quite impressed with the fact that a woman's love is a priceless enlightenment. The tenderness of woman's expression of love is inexplicable beyond any words. It is highly likely that someone like Wil already had intuitively known the enlightenment that only a woman can bring to her soul. Pinecloud, a straight male, Palo Alto, California, USA

imizrahi2002 OK...krusiec has to work on her spit take a bit, but i guess it wasn't bad for a girl... ;-) i am not a big fan of 'romantic comedies'. but i guess one of the things this movie reminded me is that genre doesn't matter as long as it's well done... i LOVED this film. kept me amused throughout. and no, i'm not Asian OR lesbian. as if that's supposed to matter...but, just in case you were thinking i was predisposed... the first(and only)review i read said something about 'not having stereotypical roles'... ???????????????????????? REALLY?!!?! OK. like i said, not Asian. (and they were) but, according to what i've been exposed to(and i HAVE been exposed. you'll just have to take my word on this), i saw almost nothing BUT stereotypes... but wu, as any strong writer will, uses them to her advantage. (including reversing the stereotypes of blacks with the Jay character. that snip with him sitting on the steps with the cosmetic face mask on? GOD, this movie was good!)AND i was surprised a few times. that rarely happens for me. i'm the person who usually guesses 'the big secrets', etc. that lots of movies contain...not this one. that was one of THE most enjoyable hour and a halves i've spent in a long time...and i see, on the avg, 10 movies a week. some of them really good. this was OBVIOUSly a labor of love... thank you for making my face feel like it was going to crack in half from smiling so wide...and laughing, laughing, laughing... ps i dug your unmistakable 'graduate' nod.

zz2006 Overall the movie feels like a Chop Suey with all these forced ingredients thrown in, but without depth and not well cooked.The director is trying to explore current social issues in a conservative immigrant culture. "Non-conventional" behaviors such as lesbian relationship, single motherhood, older women with younger men relationships are typically shunned upon in a conservative Chinese culture. It's a good idea to talk about these social elements in a new setting, much like Brokeback Mountain in a cowboy culture. However, the characters were not developed well enough to make it believable, particularly the mother and the Vivian characters. The 1993 movie Wedding Banquet (Hsi Yen) by Ang Lee was done much better with the Chinese American culture and gay relationship topic, and funnier.I have to say it's disappointing. I had such hope when I got the DVD last night since I missed it when it was in the theater.