The complexities of queer existence are the backbone of Alice Wu's 'Saving Face.'
Just as there are infinite ways for a queer person to be queer, so too are there limitless opportunities for queerness to manifest in cinema. Sometimes, it can be in a proudly defiant manner, one that provides a middle finger to the status quo that oppresses members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Other times, it’s a quiet presence that eventually makes itself known in a pronounced manner.
This moment is a microcosm of how often Saving Face recreates visual motifs of traditional romantic dramas but just recontextualizes them so that queer women of color are now at the center of the frame. This is especially apparent the first time we see Wil and Vivian in bed together, a scenario that might immediately make one worry that Saving Face will indulge, even inadvertently, in visual cues meant to titillate the male gaze.
Usually, it would be the queer character in these narratives that are yelled at and tossed out of a family. Here, that standard gets subverted by having Gao occupy that role for different reasons. It's a wise narrative move that doesn’t define a queer character by just the anguish she suffers at the hands of loved ones but also makes highlights the rigid traditionalism that makes Wil uncomfortable with coming out to her family.
The complexities of queer existence, and specifically the life of one queer Chinese American lady from New York City, are the backbone of Saving Face. However, they’re not presented in a melodramatic fashion that defines such a life by massive blow-ups and extreme misery. Instead, everything from romantic infatuation to parental disapproval to even acceptance of one’s identity is all presented with a casual air that subtly normalizes the existence and perspectives of queer individuals.
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