Coming of age films are nothing new. We’ve seen the awkwardness, the raw, lewd humor, and the emotional complexity that teenage years bring on screen before, but films that balance all three – all while keeping the story of a child of immigrants at the center – are more difficult to make. Through.
“Dìdi,” the semi-autobiographical debut from director, writer and producer Sean Wang, delivers just that. It follows 13-year-old Chris Wang, or “Wang Wang,” as his friends call him, during the summer between middle school and high school. His family, who affectionately calls him Dìdi, Mandarin for “little brother,” consists of Taiwanese Americans who lived in Fremont, California in 2008 — something viewers could probably even quickly spot with the use of flip phones, instant messaging and Myspace.
At the heart of this story about a young boy who wants to fit in, overcome his first crush, and feel the ebb and flow of young friendships, is his mother, the only person who sees him for who he is. As many thirteen-year-old boys sometimes find, Chris finds his mother, beautifully played by Joan Chen, unbearably annoying and embarrassing.
Throughout the story, Chris struggles with wanting to push those closest to him away, saying cruel things that cannot be left unsaid, while simultaneously wanting their approval and love more than ever.
In a wistful moment, after Chris and his mother, Chungsing, cool down from a big fight, Chris asks her if she is ashamed of him. Through a moving monologue, Chungsing tells him that she could never be ashamed of him and that he is her dream. It is a beautiful moment and a beautiful thought, but it also puts a pressure on many children of immigrants: making their parents’ wildest dreams come true.
Izaac Wang, a revelation as Chris, seamlessly portrays the feelings of pressure and fear of a disappointing family. His performance makes you appreciate that fraught time on the eve of high school for what you learned from it, but it also makes you realize that it is over.
For all the emotional punches he packs as we follow Chris’ journey, Wang is also effortlessly hilarious in the film’s lighter moments.
From searching ‘how to kiss’ on YouTube to worrying about how to respond to his lover’s chat messages with his friends, Wang immediately pulls you in and never lets go.
“Dìdi” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for the Ensemble. It was one of the biggest discoveries of the festival and was praised at the time for the way it stoked nostalgia among youth – although many millennial viewers were shocked by the idea that a film set in 2008 would be a period piece.
Creating something that feels nostalgic or captures a moment is no easy task, but the film pulls it off, thanks in large part to its stellar performances. Several teenage characters are played by novice actors, creating a palpable authenticity. The young actors, refreshingly, also don’t look far removed from 13, unlike many films with teenage characters that cast older actors.
That reality is already there, as Wang has incorporated much of his childhood into the story and filmed on location in his hometown. He also cast his own 86-year-old grandmother as the endearing Nai Nai, who provides comic relief as if she were a skilled actor.
In a memorable scene and a glimpse of Chris’ soft spot for his grandmother, he films her to fuel his hobby of making YouTube videos. As he moves the camera closer to her face, she says she is ugly and he replies that she is beautiful, and they exchange “I love you.” It’s a quick but moving reminder that, beneath the layers of fear and uncertainty that come with times of transition, Chris is just a kid who loves his family and wants to do right by them. And then the moment is over.
‘Dìdi”s greatest strength lies in its balance between moments of levity and seriousness, often leading to waves of laughter seconds after evoking tears.
Several shots in the film show Chungsing gazing lovingly at her son, waiting for him to acknowledge her, but to no avail. Once Chris experiences more of the messiness that is thirteen, he doesn’t just look back at her. He finally sees her.
“Dìdi” makes you wish you could turn back time and hug your mother.
“Dìdi,” a Focus Features release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “pervasive language, sexual material and drug and alcohol use – all involving teenagers.” Running time: 93 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
