The Big Picture

Dìdi captures the essence of adolescence in the age of MySpace and social media, invoking nostalgia for those who grew up during that time. The film explores themes of family, identity, and growing up, but falls short in fully exploring these concepts and ultiimately lacks depth. The focus on Chris’ social life detracts from the potentially more interesting dynamic between him, his sister Vivian, and his mother Chungsing.

Ah, adolescence. That awkward time in life where you’re trying desperately to fit in while also trying to stand out and look cool amongst your peers. For those of us who grew up in the age of MySpace and the dawn of Facebook and YouTube, it was a bizarre time. We were sharing every feeling and thought on our walls, being in someone’s top 8 was a big deal, and what song you picked for your profile was a major factor in someone understanding your personality. Filmmaker Sean Wang captures the essence of this era in his feature Dìdi, giving those of us who grew up at that time a solid dose of nostalgia while attempting to tell a family drama.

Didi A 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy discovers skating, flirting, and the true essence of maternal love beyond his family’s teachings. Release Date January 19, 2024 Director Sean Wang Cast Izaac Wang , Joan Chen , Shirley Chen , Chang Li Hua Runtime 91 minutes Writers Sean Wang

What Is ‘Dìdi’ About?
We first meet Chris (Izaac Wang) — or Wang Wang to his friends — in the summer before high school. He’s a slightly awkward kid growing up in the Bay Area. He lives with his sister, his mom, and his grandma (Chang Li Hua, Wang’s actual grandmother). His dad, never seen physically in the film, lives and works in Taiwan and supports the family from there. The summer isn’t just a transition period for Chris as his sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen), is about to go off to college at UCSD while his mother, Chungsing (Joan Chen), is a failed artist trying to submit her paintings to art contests.

When Chris develops a crush on a girl from school named Madi (Mahaela Park), his friends encourage him to go after her. And while the conversation goes well online, meeting her in person to chat is much more daunting. Then, as he drifts from his childhood friends, he also finds new skater friends who employ him as their filmer to get the best shots of their tricks. With each interaction, Chris approaches it with a “fake it until you make it” mentality. He doesn’t have the film knowledge to admit to Madi that he hasn’t seen the movies she’s talking to him about, but he does have access to her profile and the movies listed there in her likes. He’s never been a videographer before but he can google how to get the best shots and read how-to articles on the best angles to shoot from.

While he struggles with his relationship with his sister, often bickering with her and fighting, the heart of the film is about Chris and his mom. Wang describes making the film as taking Stand By Me and making it about family. And family certainly is a big element of the movie. From his mother and grandmother’s caustic relationship to the pressures and expectations that Chris’ mom unconsciously puts on him. Even the name of the film refers to the Mandarin word for little brother (弟弟), which is something that Chungsing calls her son on occasion throughout the movie.

‘Dìdi’ Doesn’t Do Enough to Explore Its Concepts

However, Dìdi offers nothing new when it comes to the world of coming-of-age stories. Wang’s focus is often disjointed, uncertain of what to center on. Is this really a story about family? Or is it about Chris growing up? Is it about his identity as a Taiwanese American? The film doesn’t hesitate to remind us of what the early 2000s were like. Casual racism and misogyny were being thrown around in conversations, but not really seen as a big deal.

But as a viewer in 2024, you almost expect Chris to confront some of these concepts and question them. Having your crush say you’re cute “for an Asian” might have, at one point, felt like a win. But we know now that it’s not the compliment that Madi thinks it is. The film clearly plays with the idea of being ashamed of your race as Chris tries to play off at one point that he’s half-Asian rather than full, but again, it doesn’t actually deal with the fallout of this when the truth is revealed. While Wang presents interesting ideas, he doesn’t ever fully dig into them enough.

Is Family Really at the Center of ‘Dìdi’?
Image via Sundance 

There’s an overarching theme of family that Wang is insistent on touting. It feels like he wants the most interesting relationship in the movie to be the relationship between Chris and Chungsing. But the problem is Wang is more focused on Chris’ social life in the script than he is about building the bond between mother and son in the film. Coming in at 91 minutes, there just isn’t enough time to deal with Chris’ insecurities, his crush, his new friend group, his sister, his grandma, his dad, and his mom. The result is a somewhat underdeveloped story.

What actually is the surprise highlight of the film is Chris’ relationship with his older sister. Vivian is about to enter into a new stage of her life as well and her experience parallels her brother’s in some ways. Having grown up in America, the kids have absorbed American culture but still live in a Taiwanese home. When Chungsing and her mother-in-law get into an argument, it’s Vivian who steps in to take Chris where he needs to go and pull him away from the uncomfortable fight he’s witnessing.

I can’t help but wonder why, in a movie called Dìdi, the focus didn’t center around the relationship that Chris, Vivian, and Chungsing have with each other. There is so much to mine, especially with the fact that the patriarch of the family is living abroad. Rather than focusing on a new friend group, why not look at these concepts of growing up and moving on through the eyes of these three characters? It feels like a wasted opportunity, especially when you have Joan Chen stepping in for the role of Chungsing, a character with so much potential.

‘Dìdi’ Has the Potential for Greatness, but Never Achieves It
Ultimately, Dìdi’s problem is that it is charming but aimless. Izaac Wang is perfectly cast as Chris, and he has amazing chemistry with this cast, but there just isn’t enough to go off of. It feels like we’re looking into a vignette of someone’s life rather than taking in a fully realized story. By the end of the film, little is resolved, with Chris starting his first year of high school. In some ways, this grounds the film by putting us in a more realistic setting, but it only ends up feeling incomplete. Rather than a full-length feature, I feel like I’ve just finished the pilot episode of a TV series. While Sean Wang presents some interesting concepts with a talented cast in Dìdi, there is just not enough depth for his directorial debut to make its mark.

Didi REVIEWSean Wang’s coming-of-age directorial debut doesn’t live up to its full potential. ProsThe film plays with early 2000s nostalgia well, utilizing the technology of the time to help the story. Izaac Wang is the perfect cast for the character of Chris. ConsThere is too much going on in the film as far as storylines go. There is not enough focus paid to the most important relationships in the movie.

Dìdi had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.