'Dìdi' Review

Looking back on the 2000s from the perspective of two decades ago feels strange. I get that that’s part of getting old, but it still feels like they weren’t at least 15 years ago, or that me being a fifth grader wasn’t isn’t further away from now than 2038 is. Yet, watching Dìdi, the most prominent film to come out of Sundance this year, felt like opening a 2000s time capsule too soon. It’s great to revisit all the little intricacies that made the decade special, but the nostalgia wave would hit harder if you wait a couple more years. This is not just for myself but also for the film as it proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, even if said influences are less than ten years old (A24’s Eighth Grade, Lady Bird, and Minari).

Dìdi is a compelling dramedy that profoundly explores the intricacies of family obligations, personal dreams, and the struggle to balance the two. The film introduces us to Chris (Izaac Wang from 2019’s Good Boys and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon), an adolescent Chinese-American boy living in Fremont, California, who struggles with living with his mother Chungsing, sister Vivian, and paternal grandmother, all while beginning to adjust to high school life. He spends his free time hanging out with his friends Fahad and Soup but finds a knack for shooting skateboarding videos with a group of older teens. He’s at an age where social media is new, as he uses YouTube, Facebook, and AOL Instant Messenger vigorously with his friends and to chat with his crush, Madi. As he finds himself doom-scrolling on these sites, his familial struggles cloud him. He has a complicated relationship with Vivian and Chungsing while trying to bridge the generational gap with his grandmother.

One of the film's standout qualities is its strong lead performance. Izaac Wang shines as Chris, delivering a performance that is both heartfelt and relatable. Audiences follow him through the turbulent time that was the transition from adolescence to a high school freshman. We see Chris go through all of the trials and tribulations, such as everyone his age being awkward, such as braces being a big deal. The character’s internal conflicts are portrayed with such sincerity that it’s easy for the audience to empathize with his struggles. He’s a bottled-up character that doesn’t open up until the film’s climax, where he and Chungsing argue about him not being a “bragging right” for her.

Joan Chen, who plays Chungsing, is just as moving, even if her character falls into the troupe of struggling Mom trying to keep her head above water. Aside from her, the supporting cast, particularly Chang Li Hua as Chris’ grandmother, adds layers to the narrative, depicting the generational and cultural pressures that shape the story's emotional core. We see her not only hard on Chris and Vivian but also on Chungsing, showing that the generational pressures link beyond the two youngsters.

Where Dìdi excels in performance and visuals, it slightly stumbles in its execution. The film leans a lot into the 2000s aesthetic, not just in the forms of social media, but also in the use of handheld cameras, flip phones, and Superbad playing at a party Chris attends. The reliance on nostalgia gradually descends into a weakness that the movie could’ve fixed if it had a longer runtime than ninety minutes.

Furthermore, while Izaac Wang does what he can as Chris, the character does come off as one-dimensionally written. The character goes through development, but when he’s written to be the same pesky early teen boy who only emotes when he’s around friends, it’s hard to connect to him. The story also occasionally dips into melodrama, which can feel heavy-handed for some viewers. Luckily, this fallback only happens within the film’s final twenty minutes, so the whole experience isn’t drowned.

Despite these minor shortcomings, Dìdi is a film with much heart. It deftly navigates themes of adolescence, teen angst, and the quest for personal fulfillment, leaving viewers with much to ponder long after the credits roll. The film's emotional resonance and the strength of its performances make it a worthwhile watch, even if it doesn’t hit every mark perfectly. Sean Wang does make a noteworthy effort following his Oscar-nominated documentary short Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó. If anything, this will fly under the radar and become a hidden gem in time, much like the Microsoft tubes screensaver and iconic Windows XP background.

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