some notes: again, this is a more formal review which will sound different from most of my ramblings
As they say, “To be cringe is to be free.”
Unlike other coming-of-age films, Sean Wang’s directorial debut and winner of the prestigious Sundance award, Dìdi (2024) is interesting because it almost exclusively focuses on the parts of growing up that nobody wants to talk about. It’s a semi-autobiographical ode to the late-aughts and the universal experience of adolescence, and grapples with cultural upbringing, growing up with the internet, and finding your place in the world.
The film zooms in on a 13 year old boy named Chris Wang (who very much resembles the director, Sean Wang) in the year 2008. Nobody really calls him Chris though–his family calls him Dìdi, the Chinese term for younger brother, and everyone else just calls him Wang Wang. For the most part, he’s just a typical Asian American boy living in the Bay Area – not that different from what you’d expect from similar specimen in today’s day and age.
He skates, makes immature jokes with his friends, and spends a lot of time on the internet. Through a series of canon teenage events (losing friends, crushing on a pretty girl, arguing with your mom etc. etc.), we join Chris in a journey of overcoming growing pains and finding his community. It’s characterised by the shame and self-consciousness that inevitably comes with adolescence, and is accompanied by many cringe-worthy moments.
Nostalgia plays a big part in this film. I missed the target demographic by approximately 10 years (Sean Wang was born in ‘94), but some of the scenes still stuck with me. I didn’t have AOL or MySpace, but I know what it feels like to grow up with (largely) unrestricted and unsupervised internet access. Like they say, “Some things never change.”
Like the typical Sundance winner, it’s this honest portrayal of childhood that undoubtedly wins over audiences. Dìdi (2024)continually reminds me that I certainly have never had an original experience, even when it gets down to the embarrassing and insecure. Ever find out that one of your closest friends has removed you from their CFL? Fret not, for Chris has too. (though for him, it’s Myspace Top 8 Friends)
Unfortunately, while this fresh perspective held a lot of potential, I found that the story often ended up falling flat. Sean Wang’s care for his protagonist is well-placed, but perhaps not as well-executed.
Maybe it’s just my general aversion to annoying teenage boys, but I find that Dìdi (2024) relies too much on speaking to a very specific Western demographic to truly carry the narrative. There’s nothing wrong with relying on nostalgia to sustain a film, but the problem is that the film doesn’t set itself up adequately to do that.
For one, it’s more of a character study or a series of vignettes than a plot-driven narrative. Moreover, Chris’ character was not fleshed out enough for him to be compelling – more often than not, I found myself getting the ick watching him repeatedly make the same mistakes. Lying about liking A Walk To Remember (2002) just to woo your crush is one thing, but lying about your experience as a professional skate videographer to make friends is another. It may not be egregious, but it certainly is lame. Overwhelmingly so.
Though I am in some ways similar to Chris, I still found it hard to empathise with him in several scenes. I can’t imagine what it would be like for others who didn’t grow up with the internet or in an Asian household. Also, I couldn’t help but feel that the film stuck too closely to tropes that for lack of a better word, have been beaten to oblivion by the genre. Please, we’ve seen enough of the Asian parent “Have you eaten?” cliche. Perhaps if more care was put into portraying the societal and familial pressures that have shaped Chris’ character, it would’ve made all the difference.
To be fair, Sean Wang has a lot to live up to. The coming-of-age genre has been saturated ever since Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig) won an Oscar. And so I must admit that many of my critiques stem from the fact that I have high standards for a film like this. In a world where Dìdi (2024) exists in a vacuum, I probably would have liked it a lot more. Besides, I recognise that if anything, this is a personal film; one that Sean Wang made to honour his 13 year old self. I can’t discredit that.
Despite my underlying gripes with the film, there are definitely parts that shone through. I especially appreciated Joan Chen’s performance playing Chris’ mother, Chungsing—Chen’s charm holds a gravity that draws everything into the scene. She did well to break through the classic Chinese mother trope, and bring a little something special to it. It’s with this that the mother-son dynamic manages to consistently stand out as one of the more developed relationships, and give the film some direction despite its more slice-of-life style. In a touching monologue, she foregrounds the sacrifices she makes on behalf of her family, the struggles of being a mother in a foreign country, and the love she has for her son.
Regardless of my critiques, I’m certain that there is a reason why Dìdi (2024) is so well-liked. With an astounding 4.1 average star rating on Letterboxd, and acclaimed success in the box office, it’s evident that there’s something about this film that resonates with viewers.
All things considered, if you asked me what Did(I) think about Dìdi (2024), I’d say this: While imperfect, as most screen debuts are, I’m certain that Sean Wang will only come back with better.
- j