2024 has been a banner year for filmmaker Sean Wang. His heartwarming documentary about his grandmothers, “Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó,” was nominated for a Best Documentary Short Oscar. At the same time, his debut feature, “Dìdi (弟弟),” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble.
Among my favorites from this year’s festival, “Dìdi (弟弟)” was written, directed, and produced by Wang. It’s a unique coming-of-age story set in the suburbs of California in 2008, about a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy named Chris, or Didi as he’s known to his first-generation mother (played by Joan Chen) and grandmother (played by Wang’s real-life grandmother Zhang Li Hua.)
Chris (played by Izaac Wang) is in the throes of awkwardness in the summer between middle and high school. His older sister and adversary Vivian (played by Shirley Chen) is heading off to college, and his father is largely absent as he works thousands of miles away in Taiwan to support his family in the U.S.
Navigating the pressures of his family’s cultural expectations, school, and feelings of not fitting in, Chris becomes a bit of a rebel, alienating his middle school friends and gravitating to the older and much cooler skater kids. He’s also experiencing his first crush on his classmate Madi (played by Mahaela Park), which plays out on the social media platforms of the time, AOL Instant Messengers and MySpace.
Wang cited the 1986 coming-of-age classic “Stand By Me,” which reminded him of him and his friends, as the inspiration for “Dìdi (弟弟).”
Opening in theaters this weekend, “Dìdi (弟弟)” is rated R and runs 1 hour and 34 minutes. Featuring strong performances from the ensemble cast and a tender - and often funny – story, “Dìdi (弟弟)” is a film worth watching.
