To be 13-years-old in 2008 once more. AOL messenger. MySpace. Poking people on Facebook. Superbad. Making low-res YouTube prank videos on your Sony Ericsson flip phone. Awkwardly attempting to flirt. The desire to fit in. Finding out who you are.
These are all universal things that so many late 90s and 2000s babies can relate too, but when these elements form a coming-of-age story told through the specific lens of what it’s like being an Asian-American kid in that time, you get Sean Wang’s brilliant feature film debut, Didi.
Didi, or Chris being the English name he prefers to go by (or Wang Wang, as he is known by to his group of prepubescent, little degenerate friend group), lives with his aspiring painter mother, ageing grandmother, and college-bound sister, while his father is away in Germany working.
Chris is about to enter high school with his group of girl-obsessed, crass, voice-breaking buddies, a scary time for any fresh teen in the ever changing world. But when you’re trying to figure out who you are at such an emotionally volatile age, the worlds of friendships, girls, family, and culture all collide in an overwhelming fashion, and Chris goes on a hilarious and emotional journey of discovering what’s important to his identity.
Sean Wang has crafted such an authentic portrayal of the early 2000s era. The digital connection and obsession, losing hours and hours of a day to online messaging and mindless YouTube videos. Hell, there’s ever a MeatSpin reference (don’t google that, but if you know, you know).
But, Wang manages to show the illusion of genuine connection that so many teenagers feel, without it feeling cheap or gimmicky. Transcripts of shorthand-written message chains cut to extreme close-ups of Chris, whose face says what those messages don’t. The soundtrack, cinematography and overall aesthetic all play a strong role in bringing an almost two decade old era to life. It’s amazing how Wang can make 16 years ago feel so relevant, yet like such a time capsule.
While Didi is such an engaging coming-of-age story about Chris finding his identity, this is also an incredibly touching love letter to mothers. Chris’ mother (Joan Chen) is the beating heart of this film as a mother who on the outside seems to be keeping it all together, showing nothing but love and care for her children.
But as the curtain begins to pull back, we see a woman who is without the physical and emotional support of her husband, while she cares for an ailing mother-in-law, prepares for her daughter to embark on her college journey, and gives everything she has left to support Chris and his unique dreams and desires. Joan Chen is phenomenal, bringing such a tenderness to the role in the way only a mother can. And her chemistry with Izaac Wang (Chris) feels so authentic, leading to two of the film’s most heartstring pulling moments.
It’s on the shoulders of Izaac Wang’s performance that Didi truly lies on, and in his first leading role, Wang shows that he is entirely capable of bringing such rawness to the early teen experience. So much of Chris’ emotion is shown, and not told, and Wang has such depth in his ability to convey those feelings with such subtle looks, adding an incredible amount of substance to an already deeply written character.
Chris’ interactions with his friends lead to truly hilarious moments, and the sweet awkwardness of his interest in his crush, Madi, encapsulates the sincere innocence of the teenage experience. Mix that awkwardness with the very interesting perspective of how his dreams clash with his grandma’s cultural expectations of him, and you get a well-rounded, relatable character who drives the narrative forward.
Didi is a perfect coming-of-age film that not only so authentically portrays being a teenager in 2008 through brilliant use of the social media boom of the era, but also tells Chris’ story through a unique cultural lens. Chris’ story and filmmaker Sean Wang’s script is so specifically unique, but in its specificity is a truly universal story that many will relate too.
Didi is playing at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and will release in Australian cinemas soon.
