Saving Face

In the film Saving Face, Wil and her mother both do not act in accordance to Chinese tradition. Ma desperately looks for a man for Wil, who is gay. Wil struggles to communicate her sexuality because she knows her family will reject her because it is a dishonor to the family. At the same time, Ma becomes pregnant at 48 without a husband. Becoming pregnant without a husband is also a great dishonor to the family, and she is kicked out by Grandpa. The term homophobia and the CRT tenet #6 “that every group has a unique story to tell” relates to this film.

Being gay is not something that traditional Chinese families allow or accept, and so Wil is forced to hide her sexuality from her family. They are very homophobic, and when Vivian encourages Wil to tell her family about them as a couple, she laughs because she has no plans of doing so. Eventually the situation forces her to have a conversation with her mom, admitting she is gay. Her mom takes the news terribly, claiming that she is not a bad mother and no daughter of hers is gay. The conflict is only resolved when Wil saves her Ma from marrying a man she did not love. Although there was an acceptance of her sexuality by the end of the movie, it was because of her good actions and not because the family suddenly stopped being homophobic.

Every group has a unique story to tell, and the complicated mess of the family in the film is no exception. Besides Wil being gay, another event that injured the family’s honor was the fact that Ma got pregnant without a husband. This complication split the family, and Wil was the only one caring for Ma. Although Grandpa had shamed her and kicked her out of the house, he later admitted to Wil that “she does not deserve to be alone”. This shows that even through the breaking of important Chinese traditions, Grandpa still has love for Ma because she is family. The battle between upholding traditions, and the more westernized view of being lenient on these traditions is a situation that is unique and will help others learn about the family struggles Chinese Americans faced from generation to generation.