Saving Face
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Synopsis
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.
Picture 7/10
Alice Wu’s Saving Face makes its Blu-ray debut through The Criterion Collection, presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a dual-layer disc with a 1080p/24hz high-definition encode.
While it’s great to finally have the film available on Blu-ray, Criterion has unfortunately been saddled with a dated digital master sourced from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Since Sony typically handles its own restorations and rarely allows third parties (like Criterion) access to their film elements, I can only assume this was the best available option.
That said, the presentation still looks quite good considering its limitations. The image is consistently sharp, with solid detail and a respectable—if not particularly striking—film-like texture. A few dated quirks remain, such as occasional mild jitter and some minor artifacts in the blacks, but nothing too distracting. The source is also in excellent shape, with no visible print damage.
Though magenta can be a bit strong in parts, colors are one of the stronger aspects, boasting solid saturation levels. Reds and greens in particular pop nicely, though black levels do leave something to be desired, appearing a bit washed out and lacking depth. They can even come off a bit green-ish at times.
It’s not an ideal presentation, but it’s a decent one, and certainly an upgrade over the previous DVD.
Saving Face - Screen Captures
Audio 8/10
Criterion includes a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track for the film. It’s not a showy mix, with most of the activity focused across the front channels, particularly the dialogue, which is clean and well-balanced. There is some subtle use of the surrounds, usually during busier scenes like parties or social gatherings, where ambient chatter and background noise help fill out the soundstage.
The film’s score, nicely mixed into the surround channels, adds a bit more dimension, and while I can’t say it ever becomes particularly aggressive or enveloping, the overall presentation is still clean and effective. The audio is also free of any age-related issues, delivering decent range and clarity throughout.
Extras 8/10
Criterion ports over the features from Sony’s 2005 DVD edition, starting with an engaging audio commentary by director Alice Wu. It’s a thoughtful and informative track, with Wu walking through many of her creative choices, from setting the film in New York to the decision to include nudity in one particular scene, down to why she picked the vending machines visible in the background. She also discusses structure, character introductions, and how much of the film is rooted in her personal experiences, even sharing anecdotes about the real people who inspired certain characters. Food also gets special attention, as do confirmed influences, including The Graduate.
Also carried over are five brief deleted scenes (running about four minutes total), accompanied by an optional commentary by the director. Wu doesn’t always explain why scenes were cut (aside from one that she felt repeated character beats), but offers thoughts and details behind each. Most are unremarkable, but one stands out stylistically: it breaks the fourth wall, allowing characters to speak directly to the camera, and feels tonally distinct from the rest of the film (probably why it was cut).
The disc also includes a brief (but decent) nine-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews and on-set footage featuring Wu, producer Teddy Zee, and stars Michelle Krusiec, Lynn Chen, and Joan Chen. A 12-minute Sundance Diary offers a candid glimpse into the film’s festival debut, with footage from the cast and crew introducing screenings. The original trailer is also included.
New to this edition are two excellent interviews: a 24-minute conversation with Wu and a 17-minute one with Joan Chen. Wu’s interview ends up more personal than her commentary, where she was more focused on the film’s construction. Here, she reflects on her coming out (which Criterion ends up animating), her relationship with her mother, and how the film could have potentially affected her (and her mother’s) connection to her community. She also recounts her path from software engineer at Microsoft to filmmaker. Amusingly, she admits to nearly passing on Chen for the film, thinking she might be too glamorous.
Chen, meanwhile, is candid and compelling as she discusses what drew her to the project and why she remains proud of it. She spends much of the interview recounting her acting career: being discovered in China while still in school, cast in her first film because she was on the shooting team (also presented through an animation), and later moving to California to study biology before falling into Hollywood roles like Tai-Pan, The Last Emperor, and Twin Peaks. She also speaks to her frustration at being typecast as the “exotic flower” and her desire to break away from that mold at the time this film was being made. Both interviews are just wonderful and prove to be the strongest features on the release.
Along with an essay by Phoebe Chen (covering the film’s handling of its relationships and its cultural significance), Criterion’s new additions wonderfully expand on the older material, offering more space for the film's director and star to talk about its more personal qualities.
Closing
Despite being saddled with a dated master, Criterion’s Blu-ray still marks a welcome upgrade for Saving Face, presenting the film with a respectable A/V presentation and a couple of great new interviews.
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