Written by Andreas Babiolakis

Last year, Sean Wang was what felt like inches away from winning his first Academy Award for his documentary short film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó: the recordings of both of his grandmothers and their daily routines, which turns them into megastars in their geriatric age. As his grandmothers goof around, we get the sense that Wang knows how to capture the silly side of loved ones: something we see a lot of in our own home recordings but not very much on the big screen (not authentically, anyway). This was a strong warm up for Wang’s narrative feature film debut, Dìdi, which — like the documentary short from last year — has become the sleeper hit of the year amongst indie circles. The resounding joy and praise surrounding this film is fully warranted because of Wang’s ability to channel himself exclusively (in a semi-autobiographical way) while representing pretty much every single person ever (and their awkward teen years).

We are transported back to 2008, back when social media was actually social (and you could edit your MySpace page to best fit your personality, while shuffling your Top 8 for the fifth time this week), AIM and other instant messaging services existed (those were the days), and popular emo bands populated the airwaves and iPods of a new generation. Dìdi is a term of endearment for a younger brother, and that role is played by the character Chris Wang (who, in turn, is played by actor Izaac Wang). He is your average teen boy back then as he feels the pressures of society, school, and his family. He acts out via compulsive lying, abnormal retaliations, and other concerning behaviours, but the film always reminds us that he is just a kid who is going to be okay; he just has to figure himself out at this very point (and the film provides him the space and tools necessary to do just that).

*Dìdi* is a sensational coming-of-age story that will make you laugh as much as it brings tears to your eyes.

Chris lives at home with his older sister Vivian (Shirley Chan), mother Chungsing (Joan Chen), and his grandmother Nai Nai (who is the very one in Wang’s documentary short of last year, meaning it is his own grandmother who has fulfilled her destiny as a star in acting in this film, and believe me when I say she is a damn natural at this). Chris’ father is out of the picture as he is over seas in Taiwan, and both his bread-winning help and his distance are major factors in the complicated Wang family dynamic. Chris has friends at school who love him but are also really mean (boys will be boys, as they say), and he has a crush who he is nervous yet excited to try to get to know. Summer is here and Chris’ first year of high school is just around the corner, so he is trying to figure out how to mature in this short period of time. As you can imagine, life comes at him fast in many ways, and he doesn’t handle himself all too well: something we can all identify with, particularly at that age.

As the film progresses, Chris alienates himself because he is too scared to open up and face difficulties head on. He instead closes himself off again and again. Sean Wang as a director channels his younger self in this film, as if he has finally found a way to absolve his childhood years of the embarrassment, guilt, and shame he once felt through the power of cinema: the same vessel that granted his grandmothers the ability to warm hearts all over the world. When used properly, the art of film can be a truly human experience that identifies aspects of our lives that not many other avenues could. Dìdi is a strong time capsule that places us in a part of the internet age that is truly extinct (which is curious because we are still in the internet age, but all of the whimsy and innocence has been replaced with hostility, dreary-eyed doom-scrolling, and algorithms which squash any one’s hopes of ever being noticed). It’s as if the film is aware of what is to come, and yet it still tries to drive hope into Chris’ life; it’s only downhill from here, but it doesn’t have to be that way for Chris as a person.

Izaac Wang is great as Chris and I’d argue that the film doesn’t have any bad actors, but the real megastar here is Joan Chen at her absolute best (yes, she’s even better here than in Twin Peaks), who does very little to grab your attention but succeeds with tugging at your heartstrings in every single shot. She steals every moment despite being the character who is cast to the side and ignored the most. Sean Wang is able to direct the film so we know that she is neglected and yet the motion picture’s gaze makes her heard. It’s a powerful call-and-response between a poor soul, the world around her, and us viewers who are reminded that we should probably call our own parents as soon as we leave the theatre. Chen relishes in this opportunity with a performance that is truly intrinsic and somehow speaks volumes despite its mainly quiet nature. Chen should not just be in talks for Best Supporting Actress this Oscars season, she should outright win at this point (until another challenger appears, I suppose, but for now Chen has my favourite performance of the year).

Joan Chen has never been better than she is in *Dìdi*.

Sean Wang’s strong directing style can be found in other places as well, including the way that aughts software can “talk” to us; the way a mouse hovers over a button to depict hesitation; the backspaced text that gets retyped as something else, mimicking battling thoughts; the camera’s gaze across a browser interface to depict what is capturing Chris’ attention at that point in time; the alarming nature of an AIM chat window popping up above everything else to now prioritize a new plot point effectively and organically. In fact, Wang showcases a strong sense of showing and not telling throughout Dìdi by allowing us to deduce what we are seeing on screen without ever being spoon fed the situation. We’re also granted full reign to laugh or cry at any given point, and the only part that feels like it is constructed for a very specific mood is the climax, where Chen shines with a monologue for the ages. Otherwise, you can find parts funny, awkward, sad, or cringey, and Dìdi allows you to decide how you interpret most moments.

Dìdi ends before it begins, and that’s precisely the point. Life will keep going for Chris, but we watch as far as he needs us to in order to get that encouragement to be and do better. Everyone in the film has good and bad sides, and no one is completely one note; even the “bad” characters have redeeming qualities or personalities. No one is explicitly all good or evil, and life isn’t that simple, either. A win here can be a loss tomorrow. We can say we are sorry and not get the best response back. Life goes on. It’s all about being content in the moment with those you are sharing this experience with, no matter who they are. Dìdi is created in such a way by Sean Wang as he relives some hard moments from his youth in this partial memoir, all while allowing the best parts of his salad days to truly shine. He isn’t blinded by nostalgia, but he’ll never fully shake off these years, either. They’re a part of him. Now, he’s allowing his experiences to become our own in the bittersweet, beautifully tender, authentically hilarious Dìdi: a film that won’t just make you tear up. You’ll be fully bawling by the end of it because like Wang has with himself, you will finally be able to reconcile with the years of your life that you painfully tried to hide and ignore for the rest of your life.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.