SAVING FACE is described as the story of a Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother who are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations. Director Alice Wu calls it an Asian-American Lesbian Romantic Comedy of Manners.
Lynn Chen, Alice Wu, Joan Chen, Michelle KrusiecWu said that she first cleared the set and spent some time conversing with actors Krusiec and Chen. She shared an embarrassing personal story (creating mutual vulnerability in the room) and they talked about how the shoot would go.
Lynn Chen (whom I recall from episodes of LAW AND ORDER) played the love interest, Vivian, a dancer. Chen said that this was her first onscreen love scene and she felt lucky because her first time was with another woman. While she felt vulnerable, she thought there would be more understanding and compassion from another woman. This “first time nervousness” translated well into the character as the initial hesitancy and fear that arises in physical relationships.
Michelle Krusiec (playing surgeon Wilhomenia “Wil”) had done other love scenes but also felt trepidation because she’d never done one with a woman. “As Michelle, the person, I have an idea of what men think is sexy but in this situation, I didn’t know if I knew how to be sexy enough. I knew Alice (director, Wu) would say if it didn’t work but I had to start from zero in this scene.” She said that she felt as though she had a lack of knowledge about what she should do and had to figure out what she didn’t know or hadn’t thought about in what is appealing. Again, this translated well into the scene because couples are always doing that in the beginning, trying to figure out what the other person wants.
Wu did an excellent job of capturing the nervousness, trepidation and aching need to please the other during a couple’s first sexual encounter. Certainly having the two women doing the scene helped with the emotional context and vulnerability index, but Wu’s choices about how to shoot the scenes contributed as well. “When I was working on the scene,” said director Wu, “I knew that I had to focus on the intimacy because the sex would then occur naturally within that context.” Ironically, by filming a non-traditional love relationship, Wu created a very human expression of initial relationship vulnerability. I strongly recommend that you see the film to study that scene (and the refrigerator scene that I’ll describe another day) for the truth of the moment. While some love scenes capture the raging animal passion moments (Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone come to mind), this film focuses on the more tender, lasting human connections that come from that more emotional place.
I want to advocate for an avid letter writing campaign to Sundance to bring back the Daytimer Package. The Daytimer package has always been a bit less expensive than the other packages (most recently $350). Here is why the Daytimer is important to Sundance:
1. It’s less expensive so the people who tend to buy it are ardent (albeit poor) film lovers who are eager and committed to coming to the festival. These are the folks who live, breathe, walk and talk film. Many of them are stretching to attend but attend they must.
2. Daytimers are restricted to daytime screenings of any category BUT premieres. Because of this, daytimers see the lower budget films that may or may not have “name” actors. This helps generate interest or “buzz” in the lesser known films because these are the films the folks are going to.
3. Daytimers are restricted to screenings before 6pm. Again, this puts those people on the shuttle buses and in the city during the daylight hours, generating more interest and attention for the lesser known films. This helps build an audience over the two weeks for the film.
4. Celebrities, publicists and studio executives can easily afford the more expensive passes (in the $650 to $2500 range) so they have less of a commitment to individual screenings. Daytimers only get 20 films so each one is precious to them and they go to them all.
5. Daytimers get to the screenings early to ensure their seats. They line up and chat about films, performances, directorial choices — the aesthetics of film. This also generates interest in the community about the films.
In my opinion, the Daytimer Package is what the mission and intent of Sundance is … to bring an eclectic collection of films to an avid, eager, committed, independent audience. The commercialism that everyone complains about is exacerbated by the more expensive pass system. The ability to see any movie, at any time, with no fear of losing the film does not generate the same attention as the more rigorous Daytimer pass. Send your cards, letters and emails today!
The 2005 Festival is over. For me, it was the year that came in with a bang and went out with a whimper. Now that I’m back, here are my immediate impressions.
- Documentaries were far stronger than Dramatics this year.
- Adding the Racquet Club venue did NOT help the festival.
- Animation Shorts program was the best of the shorts.
- Integrating Native Cinema into the general categories was a good move.
- Eliminating the Daytimer Package was a disaster.
- Digital production is almost the norm.
- Hustle & Flow selling for $9 million is still a shocker.
Jason Calacanis posted a summary of how the Sundance 2005 films were “slotted.” According to Calacanis, the festival was essentially over on Tuesday. I have been attending the festival since 1996 and I have NEVER seen it as DEAD as it was this year. While I attribute part of the problem to the Racquet Club and the demise of the Daytimer Package, Jason’s summary of how the films were slotted hints at why there may have been no one in town the last week.
First Five Days: Friday, January 21st to Tuesday, January 25th.
Last Three Days: Wednesday, January 26th to Friday, January 28th.
Note: Thursday’s Opening Premiere is grouped into First Five Days.
Here are the 11 films that had their first showing during the last three days of the festival:
Wednesday: Lackawanna Blues; The Girl From Monday; Stranger; High School Record; The Puffy Chair; This Revolution. Thursday: Reefer Madness; Rory O’Shea Was Here; Love, Ludlow; What is it? Friday: Mysterious Skin.
According to Calacanis: There’s no question about it: Sundance essentially ended on Tuesday night. At least 75% of the crowd was gone by the time the sun came up on Wednesday. Trips from the Yarrow to the top of Main Street by car took five minutes – not 50. There were no more VIP parties. Walk into any restaurant on Main and be seated – without a reservation – in under 10 minutes.
No doubt there is more dealing to be done but here is a summary of the distribution deals reporter thus far from Sundance 2005:
Film Title — Distributor — Reported Price
Brick — Focus Features — $2million
On A Clear Day — Focus Features — $2million
Hard Candy — Lions Gate — $4million
Wolf Creek — Miramax — $4million
Matador — Miramax — $7.5million
Hustle&Flow — Paramount — $9million
Chumscrubber — Newmarket — Undisclosed
Education of Shelby Knox — A&E — Undisclosed
Emporer’s Journey — Warner Ind. — Undisclosed
Grizzly Man — Lions Gate — Undisclosed
Inside Deep Throat — Universal — Undisclosed
Kung Fu Hustle — Sony Pic Classics — Undisclosed
Layer Cake — Sony Pic Classics — Undisclosed
Me&You&Everyone We Know — IFC Film — Undisclosed
Murderball — ThinkFilm — Undisclosed
Pretty Persuasion — Samuel Goldwyn — Undisclosed
Ring of Fire — USA Networks — Undisclosed
Strangers with Candy — Warner Ind. — Undisclosed
The Aristocrats — ThinkFilm — Undisclosed
Tony Takitani — Strand Rel. — Undisclosed
