HFC at SXSW ‘24: The Didi Review

Another year brings another coming of age film. In its long history, the genre has spanned the continuum of adolescents that go from those Chicago teens of John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club to Greta Gerwig’s Sacramento-encased Lady Bird. With each new entry, one wonders what the next fresh perspective within this space will look like, or if it’ll even happen. Thankfully, director and writer Sean Wang’s feature film debut, Didi (which means “Little brother” in Mandarin), adds a bit of unique zest to the genre it lovingly sets itself in. Making its “Texas Premiere” at SXSW, and fresh off a pickup from Focus Features, Sean Wang transports the audience back to what now is actually a time long ago: 2008.

Set in Fremont, California, the hometown of the filmmaker, Didi follows the activities of 13-year-old Taiwanese-American, Chris (Izaac Wang), as he navigates a tumultuous last month of summer before high school starts. Chris’ life and daily activities are like any other 13-year-old’s: mid-day hangouts with boisterous friends, pool parties, petty arguments and frustrations with mom, Chungsing (Joan Chen), and older sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen), and the constant specter of early years Facebook. Each of these moments may not be new to the human or cinematic experience, however, Sean Wang’s script and direction finds little moments of lived-in details that places the audience in the shoes of its main character. 

For Chris—a kid on the verge of emerging into another phase of adolescence—everything seems like life or death. When Mom comes into the room, he treats her as a malicious vagabond with the sole intent of embarrassing him, even though she’s just trying to bond with her son. When his crush starts a conversation in an AOL chatroom, each message he types feels like a ticking time bomb; either he’ll come across as a soft dork, or a mysterious and cool kid. Not since Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade (2018) has a film captured the comedy and tension of kids overthinking things and doing foolish stuff in the pursuit of fitting in. 

Sean Wang, now entering his 30s, shows a larger awareness of the world around Chris, demonstrated in the loving depiction of his mother. She’s a character that lies on the fringes of Chris’ experiences, but is nonetheless always there. While the main character mostly sees his mom as out of touch, overbearing, and just a little weird, Chris (and Sean) have a deep underlying love for her. With glances of uncertainty and worry, Joan Chen crafts a mother character brimming with her own emotional hurdles: a house of children facing their own growing pains, a critical live-in mother-in-law, and a husband that’s living in another country for work. As Sean Wang expands Chris’ understanding of his mother’s pains, Didi evolves into a quiet and dedicated ode to the bond between a mother and son.

This journey doesn’t work without the central performance of the young Izaac Wang. Whether it’s the moments of teeth-clenching awkwardness (such as any scene where Chris attempts to woo his crush) or sequences of youthful vibrance and joy (any scene where Chris hangs out with his friends), Izaac Wang shows surprising comfortability in acting out the painful moments of a kid stumbling his way through the dog days of summer. 

As a whole, Didi thrives off its assured establishment of time and place. In the hands of Sean Wang and his production team that includes cinematographer Sam A. Davis, costume designer Brianna Murphy, and production designer Hanrui Wang, 2008 Fremont are brought to life with little personal touches that enliven every scene, setting, and character. Audiences can feel the freedom of the blue skies that hang above Chris and his friends, the secrets that develop in the nights spent with older kids and overconfident paramours, and the tight walls of a house where everyone has something to argue about.

The Wang House is the main standout location, showcasing minute but eye-catching personal designs that place the audience directly into the lives of the film’s subjects. One particular triumph of the production design is the emphasis on cheesy family photos laying in the background, with one of Chris’ mom and father standing out due to its comedic retro look. It’s a picture that could be played purely for comedy but the moment in which it first appears happens during a third act emotional confrontation between Chris and Chungsing. In that moment where plot structure, set design, and camerawork come together, this scene captures the total feeling of Didi: humorous, relatable, nostalgic, and bittersweet.

Didi isn’t a coming-of-age film that changes everything about the genre. It’s more than happy to be a personal and detailed partner within it. By telling his story with care and warmth and a clear eye, Sean Wang doesn’t just give the world a great movie, he announces his arrival as an exciting new voice to the art form.