“Dídi” Is a Standout Among Coming-of-Age Films

In his feature film debut, writer and director Sean Wang throws us into the chaos and confusion of early adolescence whether we like it or not.

Dídi tells the story of Chris (Izaac Wang), a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy living out the final days of summer before beginning his first year of high school. Chris loves skateboarding, messing around with his friends, and a girl named Madi (Mahaela Park). The impending departure of his older sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen), to college looms in the background at home. At the center of it all is their mother, Chungsing (Joan Chen), and grandmother, Nai Nai (played by Sean Wang’s grandmother, Zhang Li Hua).

Like most kids at 13, Chris is struggling to figure out who he is. At home, he’s Dídi, which translates to “little brother”; with his friends, he’s Wang Wang. At times, he is unsure how to introduce himself to new people. For Chris, coming of age means struggling against his identity while also trying to untangle what each part of himself means to him. All the while googling things like “How to kiss” and “How to land an ollie.”

Aaron Chang, Izaac Wang, Raul Dial, and Tarnvir Kamboj in Dìdi. Courtesy of Focus Features

Dídi feels intensely personal, and the director describes the film as semiautobiographical. Wang told the Guardian, “The container is autobiographical; I was 13 in 2008, I’m Taiwanese, I grew up in the Bay Area, I grew up skating, I still skate. But everything within that container is fictional or modified.” In the same interview, he discusses the gap in representation in coming-of-age films, saying he loves the genre but has rarely seen his own experience reflected in them. He points out that while Dídi is about specific, sometimes identity-based experiences, he hopes it conveys a universal feeling.

Fortunately, the universality of this story is exactly where this film shines the most. Dídi‘s superpower is how it highlights those moments in life that, at the time, seem completely inconsequential—but in the clarity of hindsight, one begins to understand just how deeply they are engraved in our being. Growing up can feel uncomfortable and even painful, both of which we see in this film, but it can also happen without you even noticing. Our friends, enemies, or crushes can say or do something that sticks with us for the rest of our lives, quietly taking root in us and growing as we do.

All of the characters in this film are real, sometimes terrible, sometimes loving. Joan Chen delivers a reliably powerful, quiet, and moving performance. Her presence, much like any mother’s, is felt even when she is not in the scene. We want to do good for her, be good for her, even if we don’t know it yet. Izaac Wang’s performance sits perfectly in the mix of teenage angst, horror, and sadness that leaves you with no choice but to love him.

Courtesy of Focus Features

The nostalgia of the late 2000s works well here, too, but Dídi does not rely on its audience wistfully pining for the times of AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace Top 8, either. The nostalgia doesn’t overwhelm or own the story, which is something that coming-of-age films sometimes fall victim to. If anything, the hits that Dídi offers are a treat, even if the AIM notification sound does sound a shiver down my spine.

This film is one part Lady Bird, two parts Mid90s, and 10 parts uniquely Dídi. It has mastered being perfectly original while still deeply relatable. It is often funny and even a little gross at times, but the heart of this film never leaves the screen. It may not have the power to heal all those uncomfortable middle school wounds, but Dídi is sure to creep in, take root, and stay awhile.