Dìdi, which won the Sundance 2024 U.S. Dramatic Competition Audience Award, tells the story of Chris Wang, a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy trying to fit in while dealing with peer pressure, his own immaturity, assimilation and casual racism in the age of MySpace.
During a Q&A session, director Sean Wang said he was inspired by Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me and wondered what it would be like if that film were set in Fremont, California, a community with many immigrant families, in the 2000s. Wang added that the film is also inspired by his upbringing.
For millennials, Dìdi is a call back to having to race home to use the Internet, AOL chat, Paramore, A Walk to Remember and what it meant to be on someone’s “top eight.”
For adults, regardless of generation, it reminds us of being a third wheel or completely left out, our collective teenage stupidity, and struggling to meet the level of sexual experience we assume all our friends have. Perhaps even more strongly, adults will relate to Chris’ mother, Chungsing Wang, who struggles to remain relevant in her increasingly independent children’s lives.
Along with the usual angst, Chris struggles with culture issues. A girl tells him he’s “pretty cute… for an Asian.” Likely internalizing such attitudes and trying to meet his friends expectations of an American kid, he falsely claims he’s only “half Asian.” Internally, he also seems to struggle with his sister going away to college and his father working overseas.
All the pressure manifests in pranks, fights and rebellion. But when Chris has pushed everyone else away, will he realize who will always be there for him?
Dìdi deserves its audience award, and we hope to see more films from Wang soon.
