The Asian-American struggle is REAL in Sean Wang’s Didi, in theaters now.
Sean Wang
One of the most incredible things about the future is the period pieces set in the recent few decades, and director Sean Wang jumped on the opportunity to reflect on his childhood. Wang, who graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2016, knew he had a responsibility to convey this story correctly. He grew up with minimal Asian representation on screen and had the opportunity to transport the audience back to the 2000’s.
And he did, quite magnificently! As an Asian-American who grew up with ADHD, a lot of Didi felt very targeted towards me. Several scenes in the movie feel as if they were directly ripped out of my life! From Chris’ (Izaac Wang) klutziness to his daring personality, I felt like I was watching a parody of my own life on the screen.
About ‘Didi’
Synopsis: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
Chris Wang, the composite character of screenwriter Sean Wang, spends the summer before freshman year going through a series of various friendship and family struggles, a life story notoriously familiar to millions of Asian-American families worldwide. It’s Summer 2008, and Chris needs to get his “dw.” Or at least that’s what his friend Fahad (Raul Dial) says before they go to a big pool party to meet the hot crush, Madi. But can Chris even handle parties? Bay Area, 16-year-olds-having-sex, 17-year-olds-bumping-cocaine parties?
This R-rated coming-of-age story is not afraid of showing the reality of how teenagers behave. And the modern age of social media, where teens are more exposed to the adult world than previous generations, may even invite more teens to watch the movie. Following the story through Wang’s eyes is very reminiscent flashback to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), and in a way, Didi may as well be this day and age’s Wimpy Kid.
Thoughts
Though wonderfully shot with an eccentric cast and beautiful direction, I have some qualms with the movie. Didi exists to check off several boxes that the film space hasn’t explored before, but it can also come off as the director projecting. Sean Wang is clearly very bright for noticing how technology isn’t represented well on screen, as well as how realistic Asians are represented on screen, but these are very surface-level restitutions to overblown problems. Yes, the Asian-American representation is small, but we go to movies to escape from the real world, not relive it. In an otherwise hilarious comedy, it would’ve felt much more natural to develop an ensemble of characters up, like Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever, rather than jutting life experiences in for a story.
That being said, the level of detail put into framing breathtaking shots for the simplest of scenes makes this movie unparalleled. As I mentioned earlier, the detail put into recreating old social media user interfaces already makes this movie stand out, as it’s a difficult ask if you want technology represented in your project. This was an essential aspect important in order to convey a time as distinct as 2008 (which, by the way, was missing a Wii and Pokémon).
The absolute spotlight of the film for me was Joan Chen, who plays Chris’ first-generation immigrant Chinese-American mother. Out of all the things that Wang noticed were missing from American cinema, noticing how the natural behavior of an immigrant parent was missing is a very astute observation. I think this was the film’s largest feat for me, and Chen deserves an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her character was very reminiscent of my mom, and I’m sure the same goes for many other Asian American audience members, who put in a tireless amount of work every day despite the world seemingly being against her in every way. My mother, also an aspiring artist who married and immigrated to America at a very young age, is a lot like Chris’s mom in the film. And at least between South Asian representation in Hollywood, I haven’t seen anyone portray a character so purposefully, and I’m glad that hiring a versatile actress to play this character was a hurdle that Wang wanted to jump over.
Izaac Wang is an absolute delight in this film. His zany, eccentric energy, matched with the ability to spit the most unhinged lines humorfully, perfectly captures the type of character Chris needs to be. On top of this, the 16-year-old can act! In the scene where he’s cooling his black eye with an egg, the emotion conveyed in his face is a masterclass in expression. Izaac is very comfortable in his character, and unlike his friends (portrayed by kids picked off the streets of LA to give off a natural feeling), Izaac understands Chris’s complexity in very mature ways, delivering an incredible performance!
Rating
Due to the very targeted nature of the film for me, I couldn’t help but sob. In every way that Indians have criticized South Asian representation in the media as not realistic or “white-washed,” this movie reconciles those complaints so well that Didi is going to hit very close to home for a lot of people. At the same time, this film being Wang’s directorial debut makes it harder for me to believe that this becomes an instant classic. In my opinion, this film could’ve easily sat next to Life of Pi, The Fabelmans, and Past Lives had Wang made a couple of other films prior to this one. The lack of patience shines throughout the movie, though the casual audience member may not grasp this subliminal feeling. And it’s a shame, because a more commercial and balanced version of this film would’ve highly resonated with audiences.
On a personal note, I would rate this film 4.5 out of 5 stars, as it really resonated with me to see my life and experiences portrayed on screen. However, as a critic, rating the film 4 stars seems more appropriate, given that I know a historical version of this film could’ve been made. Nevertheless, please watch this film in theaters and help Joan Chen get her deserved nomination!
Didi (弟弟) releases domestically on August 16, 2024. The film was distributed by Focus Features and directed by Sean Wang; starring Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua, Macaela Parker, and Raul Dial.
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