Sometimes the most powerful stories of everyday life. When a film is handled right it can bring that nuance to the audience that allows them to relate to the characters and the story, making it even more powerful. Academy Award® nominee and first-time feature filmmaker Sean Wang brings the film Didi to life with just that sort of direction starring Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua. Can this story connect with audiences in its simple story of life, or will it not be able to capture its true vision on screen? 

 

Didi follows the last month of summer in 2008 before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom before high school begins.

 

I knew nothing of this film when I sat down to watch it. We have seen a billion films like this over the years, but when you infuse varying cultures into the mix it often adds a new layer that elevates it to something special. This is one of those films that, while it doesn’t break down any walls in the genre, brings together that aspect of finding yourself as a youth, dealing with the struggles of family and understanding where your place in the world is.

The story here is simple and plays up like most other youth finding themselves films, but as he navigates through these various circumstances and decisions it dives deep into the cultural differences of his mother and his American life without ever trying to make it the whole narrative. This subtle way of meshing this story element makes it all the better and at times more frustrating just knowing that they come from different places.

 

Izaac Wang carries the heaviest load throughout the film to great success. His innocent and awkward approach to life makes it easier to relate to his decisions