The tagline for Sean Wang’s first feature length film Didi, “For anyone who’s ever been a teenager,” couldn’t be more accurate. The film follows Chris Wang, a 13-year-old Taiwanese American, as he goes through his last summer before high school in the mid-2000s.
Set in Fremont, California, Chris lives in a typical Bay Area suburban neighborhood with his mother, paternal grandmother and his older sister Vivian. Chris’ father financially supports the family by working in Taiwan. In his spare time, Chris is an amateur filmmaker who records skating videos.
Didi hits crucial points of every coming-of-age story. We see Chris bicker with his older sister, have disputes with his friend group, pursue his crush and contemplate who he really wants to be as a person. Most notably, familial themes make up the heart of Didi. Like many young Asian Americans, Chris has to navigate an identity he doesn’t fully yet understand or appreciate while he has to face unyielding expectations from his immigrant mother.
Chris’ mother, played by the extraordinary Joan Chen, is a remarkable and familiar representation of mothers who have given up their dreams to single-handedly raise their children — faults and all. We see her berate Chris in the same way her mother-in-law berates her. However, we also see her reveal to her son that she truly only wants the best for him, even if she expresses it in less-than-stellar ways.
Chris is also not a perfect protagonist. Like most young teenagers, he actively rebels against his mother and refuses to get along with his older sister. We see him make questionable choices, such as denying his Asian identity to his group of friends and insulting his family and their lifestyle in fits of rage. His character puts adolescence into perspective by showing how embarrassing and painful it is to be a teenager who doesn’t exactly know how to navigate life yet. Growing pains are something everyone can relate to, and Didi showcases them all for the audience to reflect on.
A core component of any coming-of-age piece is the realization that your family is also struggling with life, and Didi captures this perfectly. Sincerity is painful and scary, and it’s difficult for Chris to come to terms with his mother’s conflicting ideals for him versus his own. However, he eventually reconciles with his mother, and he even makes peace with his older sister before she leaves for college. We see him show vulnerability and exhibit clear growth before the film ends, and we are left with the impression that Chris will be more sure of who he is as he enters high school.
A significant portion of the film’s plot is told through MySpace profiles and AOL messaging, which is an authentic look into the average teenager’s experience with the internet at the time. Wang’s choice of incorporating this adds a vignette-like aspect to the film that makes it visually and narratively more interesting.
Visually, Didi is also a gorgeous film. Shot on-location in Fremont, the cinematography is homey and warm. The soundtrack is straight out of 2008, and it accurately depicts what a teenager like Chris would listen to in the mid-2000s.
As expected, Joan Chen’s performance as a mother trying her best is monumental. Izaac Wang, who plays Chris, also delivers a breakout performance, which is an impressive feat for a 16-year-old actor in his first starring role.
Didi vividly brings back every aspect of the most awkward age of your life. It’s a film full of nostalgia, which includes every cringe moment of adolescence that torments us whenever we recall it. Even if you were young and naive beyond belief, you end up maturing from your 13-year-old self, and Didi serves as a heartwarming reminder of what it’s like to find one’s way.
