Dìdi - Review: Spending Quality Time with Little Brother

 

In the long tradition of the cinematic language, there are few things as treasured and longstanding as the coming-of-age film. They’ve existed for decades and are able to touch viewers almost regardless of background and childhood, while also being able to maintain a unique vision and personal experience. In recent memory, there have bene plenty of fantastic examples of the genre, from the like of “Lady Bird,” “Eighth Grade,” and “The Edge of Seventeen,” and we now have another great addition to the modern classics of the genre: “Dìdi.” 

Set in 2008, the film follows Chris Wang, played by Izaac Wang (“Good Boys,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”), a 13-year-old boy dealing with teenage crushes, an older sister Vivian, played by Shirley Chen (“15 Cameras”), leaving for college, and a freshman high school year on the horizon. In between butting heads with his mother Chungsing, played by Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor,” “”), he finds himself making internet videos, enduring summer tutoring, and filming videos for a group of older skateboarders. 

As the feature directorial debut for writer/director Sean Wang (“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”), the film radiates a kind of genuine energy that feels almost impossible to create in the current age, especially with the specific focal point of the film. Creating a tale of a childhood on the cusp of the constant documentation that’s come from the internet and social media is incredibly tricky, but Wang crafts a warm and calm approach to the material. It works so well thanks to the universality that he drills into. Yes, there might be new things and technology for kids to obsess over, but the broad emotions stay the same even as the years change. 

Izaac is utterly fantastic in that kind of perfectly normal way. It’s the kind of performance that seems almost too realistic, leaving you wondering where the actual acting comes into play. That’s simply how good the performance is, and he’s an absolute delight. Chris is a ball of teenage angst and childishness in a way that never smooths over his inappropriate behavior but does highlight his own growth and the moments when he shows his sweeter side and insecurities. Shirley is also fantastic, so much so that she almost feels underutilized by the film as a whole. She and Izaac absolutely nail the sibling dynamic of constant irritation with deep-rooted love at the center of their relationship. It’s a painfully realistic portrait of a sibling bond that’s made all the more bittersweet in how underutilized it is by the end. 

Arguably the star of the film, or at the very least the scene stealer, is Joan Chen. Chris’s mother is instantly endearing and lovable, and it's not hard to be brought to tears at numerous points thanks to her story and performance. Joan is an absolute revelation and it’s difficult to imagine the film being remotely as good as it is without her in it. As Chungsing and Chris’s stories begin to really collide in the film’s third act, Joan and Izaac’s performances build to one of the most honest and heartbreaking portrayals of parental love and hurt and understanding since “Lady Bird.” 

Within all of the emotional familial and teenaged drama, there’s a remarkably strong technical production backing up the film. Cinematographer Sam A. Davis (“Trap Jazz”) works with Wang to have their vision of the mid-2000s lit in a warm glow, with film grain and a dreamlike haze surrounding everything. It’s a very retrospective kind of presentation, giving the effect of remembering one’s own childhood with rose colored glasses. The way Wang and his team showcase the internet and its effect on Chris and his friends, as well as Chris’s own imagination in seeing the world, give the film its own unique vision and buckets of charm. 

“Dìdi” means “younger brother” in Chinese, and the film itself could easily be described as resembling all the archetypes of a younger brother. It's rambunctious and loud, while still harboring a secret sweetness in its core. Izaac Wang and Joan Chen absolute carry the entire film among a talented supporting cast, anchoring the deep familial emotions and love in a sense of fun and mid-2000s nostalgia. It’s easily one of the best films of the year, but in a way that feels effortless and warm, and stakes a claim as one of the best coming-of-age films in recent memory. 5/5