Film review: ‘Dìdi’ is a warm, nostalgic hug straight from 2008

Coming-of-age films are nothing new. We’ve seen the awkwardness, the raucous, bawdy humor, and the emotional complexity that accompanies adolescence on screen before, but films that balance those three things — while also keeping the story of a child of immigrants at their heart — are harder to pull off. to arrive. per.

“Dìdi”, the semi-autobiographical debut from director, writer and producer Sean Wang, offers 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 call him Dìdi, which means “younger brother” in Mandarin, are Taiwanese-Americans living in Fremont, California, in 2008 – something viewers could probably quickly pick up on with the use of flip phones, messaging instant messages and Myspace everywhere.

At the center of this story of a boy who wants to fit in, navigate his first crush, and feel the highs and lows of young friendships is his mother, the only person who sees him for who he is. As many 13-year-old boys sometimes feel, Chris simply finds his mother, beautifully played by Joan Chen, unbearably irritating and embarrassing.

Throughout the well-paced story, Chris struggles with the urge to push away those closest to him, saying cruel things that can’t be unsaid while at the same time wanting their approval and love more than ever.

In a melancholy moment, after Chris and his mother, Chungsing, have calmed down from a huge fight, Chris asks her if she is ashamed of him. Through a moving monologue, Chungsing says that she could never be ashamed of him and that he is her dream. It’s a sweet moment and a sweet thought, but it also hits on a pressure that many children of immigrants feel: living up to their parents’ wildest dreams.

Izaac Wang, a revelation as Chris, perfectly portrays these feelings of pressure and fear of disappointing his family. His performance makes you appreciate that difficult period at the beginning of high school for what it taught you, but it also makes you appreciate that it’s over.

For all the emotional punches he takes 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 your crush’s instant messages with your friends, Wang pulls you in immediately and doesn’t let go.

“Dìdi” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the public award and a special jury prize for lifetime achievement. It was one of the festival’s biggest discoveries and was praised at the time for the way it fostered nostalgia for times gone by – although many millennial viewers were shaken by the idea of ​​a film set in 2008 being a period piece.

Creating something that feels nostalgic or captures a moment in time is no easy task, but the film succeeds, largely thanks to the stellar performances. Several of the teenage characters are played by first-time actors, which creates a palpable authenticity. The young actors also, refreshingly, don’t seem too far removed from their 13-year-old years, unlike many films with teenage characters that cast older actors.

This reality already exists, as Wang incorporated much of his childhood into the story and filmed on location in his hometown. He too cast his own 86-year-old grandmother like the captivating Nai Nai, who provides comic relief as if she were a veteran actress.

In one memorable scene, and a glimpse into Chris’s soft spot for his grandmother, he films her to fuel his hobby of creating YouTube videos. As he zooms in on her face with the camera, she says she’s ugly and he responds that she’s beautiful, and they exchange “I love you.” It’s a quick but poignant reminder that beneath the layers of anguish and uncertainty that accompany times of transition, Chris is just a kid who loves his family and wants to do right by them. And then the moment was over.

The greatest strength of “Dìdi” lies in the balance it strikes between moments of levity and gravity, often eliciting waves of laughter seconds after evoking tears.

Several scenes throughout the film show Chungsing looking affectionately at her son, hoping he would recognize her, to no avail. After Chris experiences more of the mess that is being 13, he doesn’t just look at her. He finally sees her.

“Dìdi” simply makes you want to go back in time and hug your mother.

“Dìdi,” a Focus Features release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “comprehensive language, sexual material and drug and alcohol use – all involving teenagers.” Running time: 93 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.