Dìdi: Fremont filmmaker navigates growing pains in award-winning debut

2–3 minutes

Sean Wang’s Sundance feature doesn’t shy away from the ugly truths of adolescence

Staff Writer

Fremont-made film Dìdi (little brother) made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award along with the hearts of its viewers. The semi-autobiographical film, inspired by classics like Stand By Me, is reminiscent of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade in its distinctly cringe-inducing accuracy and empathy towards its protagonist, 13-year-old Chris Wang (Isaac Wang) who lives in Fremont, CA with his mother, Chungsing (Joan Chen), older sister Vivian (Shirley Chen), and grandmother “Nai Nai” (Chang Li Hua). The only recurring role without an actor is Chris’s father, whose absence lingers through the pangs of loneliness driving his internal drive to fit in.

Throughout the film, Chris is shown trying on different identities as any teenager does, portrayed by actor Isaac Wang with an acute awkwardness that shows he never quite fits into any of them. Whether the protagonist is Chris, or “Wang Wang,” or “Dìdi,” the writing charms viewers into going along with each name he dons. The humor, though juvenile and self-effacing, never appears saccharine as it meets the character at his level. The absurdity of his actions like swallowing a lit roach or blowing up mailboxes, are balanced by his relatability when pretending to share interests with his crush or awkwardly laughing through microaggressions he faces at school.

From MySpace to Paramore, to handheld camcorders, director Sean Wang creates an immersive time capsule of the late 2000s for Chris and the audience to stumble through. As his grandmother Nai Nai complains about kids never going outside, Wang displays that people can make memories with a few clicks, a sentiment that rings true today.

While the 90-minute film has received criticism for its “messiness in plot,” it feels intentional as the protagonist matches this unpredictable search for purpose as well. “It’s not another film set in New York, it’s somewhere quieter and slower and that’s something that a lot of kids grew up with. I guess that’s kind of our representation. You have these summers where you just bike around, those days you don’t know what to do, but you’re just kind of just around your town, right?” said Ian Budiman (11), highlighting how this meandering plot parallels growing up in Fremont.

Amulya Manoj (12), who recalls seeing an audition flier for Dìdi, noted her surprise at the film making such strides, “It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. I had no idea it would go on to win awards. I’m so used to watching movies that are produced in Hollywood, where it’s the same common faces you’re used to seeing. This is refreshing.”

“Refreshing” seems to be the right word to describe it. Beyond Fremont and the time frame, everyone can relate to Dìdi in some way: mothers, teens, anyone struggling to fit in. Chris’s story is one that almost everyone has played some role in throughout time, and Sean Wang lends each a unique recognition. Send some forgiveness and love back to your thirteen-year-old self, and watch Dìdi in theaters this July.