Okay, so this was supposed to be Beasts of No Nation but I really wasn't in the mood to watch child soldiers. Turns out I was also not in the mood for systemic racism even if it is wrapped up in a cutesy love story, so no Hundred-Foot Journey either. Where did that leave me, other than two days behind schedule? Back at Saving Face (the other one)!Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec) is a promising doctor and dutiful Chinese daughter. When her mother (Joan Chen) is alienated by her own father (Jin Wang) for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Wil dutifully takes her in, even as she struggles to balance work and a burgeoning relationship with her boss's daughter, Vivian (Lynn Chen), a ballerina under her own familial strains. Ma refuses to say who the baby's father is, enduring date after date in order to find a husband to return her to her family's good graces. Wil is terrified of coming out to her mother but also of losing Vivian.
This is a great indie film, both from an LGBTQ standpoint and an immigrant/diaspora narrative. Queer rom-coms are still pretty thin on the ground and they especially were in 2004. The story beats are very trope-y but there is value in having gay relationships normalized. It was obviously a deeply personal story for writer/director Alice Wu and her cultural nuances are integral to making the story feel lived in. If you swooned for Crazy Rich Asians but wanted it gayer, this is the movie for you. It's currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
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