Didi ~ Review

I don’t think it’s any new or amazing revelation to say that being a teenager sucks. You’re constantly being told what to do by authority figures, while at the same time, you’re trying to navigate the swirling storm of emotions and hormones. Desperate to fit in, but also trying to assert your individuality, but deeply insecure that you’re going to screw everything up at any given moment. Couple that with all of your peers dealing with the same thing and you have a perfect storm of well…suck. Sean Wang's wonderfully textured coming-of-age film, Didi is an exploration of trying to fit in and just not quite getting there.

It's the last days of summer in 2008 and thirteen-year-old Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) is about to start high school. Chris spends most of his time filming shenanigans on his digital camera with his friends and uploading them to YouTube (this is 2008 YouTube where there were time limits and no real algorithm to speak of). His sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen) is getting ready to go to college, and his mother Chungsing (Joan Chen) is trying to keep the house while their father works in Taiwan. However, Chris yearns for more and is ready for a change. That change might start with Madi (Mahaela Park), who seems to have a crush on him, or it could start with the group of skaters who need a “filmer.” What Chris does not want, is PSAT prep – something his mother insists he do. So, what follows is a series of vignettes as Chris navigates the trials and tribulations of the summer before high school. 

Writing teenage characters can be a hard tightrope to walk because if you write their dialogue too stylized it can feel like pandering, or it can feel like an older person trying to recapture their youth. But Sean Wang’s script is fantastic and gives these kids truly authentic dialogue. It’s a funny, earnest, and heartfelt script that also never tips over into maudlin sentimentality. Similarly, Wang’s direction employs a cinema verité feeling, but uses surreal cutaways for comedic effect. I do think the film doesn’t have as satisfying a conclusion as it could have, but that being said the ending arrived at here is probably more realistic.

As Chris spends most of his time online, he has many conversations with his friends over AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). If you’re of a certain age the sounds of this chat program will give you a rush of nostalgia. I distinctly remember my excitement and nervousness when that AIM door open noise blasted through my speakers and I realized that my crush was online. Didi perfectly nails that feeling.

The young cast of mostly first-time actors are all great. Particularly Izaac Wang, he delivers an internal performance full of heartbreak and warmth.  Joan Chen is fantastic as a mother desperately trying to do right by her children, but also pursue her dreams and ambitions. Chen is the heart of the movie and her performance holds the film together.

Didi is a funny and heartfelt look at growing up. It stands alongside Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, another film that truly captures how funny, sad, and truly difficult being a teenager can be. 

Three out of Four Stars