This article has very good commentary about Alice Wu's Saving Face . Kristi Mitsuda, although a bit harsh, makes valid and compelling points and the rebuttal to her article is equally interesting and leans more towards my sentiments. In the drab sea of crappy this-is-my-grad-thesis lesbian films it was nice to have a plucky romantic comedy of our own. Although I'm not Asian, I did appreciate the Asian culture and although it did seem stereotypical and cliche-for-a-laugh, I enjoyed the characters and the story. I disagree with Mitsuda, skimming the surface is better than nothing at all.
Primarily, I respect how this film was made despite the shortcomings it may have. A lesbian computer engineer with a masters from Stanford works for Microsoft for 6 years and then suddenly decides she is going to be a filmmaker. She takes her average script to NY and gives herself a 5 year time limit to make it or break it. In 2001, her script for Saving Face wins the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) screenwriting award and shortly thereafter she gets Will Smith's production company to back her and she is directing her first film ever. This is the story that keeps a million kiddies trying to break into the business every year. Is it really all about luck?
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