Saving Face
Leaving July 31
•
1h 37m
Directed by Alice Wu • 2004 • United States
Starring Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, Lynn Chen
A queer romantic comedy set in vibrant, multicultural New York City, Alice Wu’s irresistible feature debut breathed fresh life into the genre by combining snappy dialogue and a swooning love story with a poignant narrative about a mother and daughter coming to terms with each other. Just as Wil (Michelle Krusiec), a harried young surgical resident, begins a promising romance with the flirtatious dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen), her life is turned upside down when her more traditional Chinese mother (Joan Chen)—unwed and unexpectedly pregnant—moves in with her, forcing both women to confront the generational and cultural barriers that have long troubled their relationship. Both embracing and cleverly subverting rom-com conventions, Wu delivers a bighearted ode to the Chinese American diaspora, and the liberating joy of living one’s truth.
Up Next in Leaving July 31
-
The Wolberg Family
Directed by Axelle Ropert • 2009 • France
Starring François Damiens, Valérie Benguigui, Léopoldine SerreAxelle Ropert made the leap from film critic and screenwriter (and frequent Serge Bozon collaborator) to director with this bittersweet domestic tragicomedy, the first of her tender and richl...
-
Scarecrow
Directed by Jerry Schatzberg • 1973 • United States
Starring Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Dorothy TristanUnforgettable performances from Gene Hackman and Al Pacino, the sensitive direction of Jerry Schatzberg, and the glowing landscape cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond come together for one of the ...
-
And When I Die, I Won’t Stay Dead
Directed by Billy Woodberry • 2015 • United States
Legendary Beat visionary Bob Kaufman considered poetry a key to human survival, an idea made all the more legitimate by the longevity it is granted: the things he saw, heard, tasted, felt, and, most of all, thought were preserved in his work. Em...
