Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by
Dìdi is a 2024 comedy and drama Movie Directed by Sean Wang. The film Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, and Shirley Chen will be released on July 26, 2024.
“Dìdi (弟弟)” is a movie that tells the story of a Taiwanese American teenager named Chris Wang. The movie is set in the summer of 2008 in Fremont, California, and focuses on Chris’s experiences and challenges during this time. Chris, like many teens, wants to ask out his crush, Madi, who enjoys skateboarding and makes videos about it. He also really wants to look cool. However, as he tries to achieve these goals, he gets into various social mishaps. Through these experiences, Chris learns an important lesson: true “coolness” comes from being himself and not trying to prove anything to others.
The world premiere of Sean Wang’s debut feature, “Dìdi (弟弟),” was filled with excitement and energy. The audience was very engaged, reacting emotionally throughout the 91-minute film. This reaction could partly be because many audience members knew Sean Wang personally or were involved in the film, as well as the fact that it was the only Asian American film in the US Dramatic Competition this year. Sean Wang is already a well-known figure in Asian American cinema, having been a Sundance Institute Ignite Fellow and an Academy Award-nominated director for his short film “Nai Nai & Wài Pó.” The film captures the awkwardness and challenges of adolescence, especially during the early days of the internet. Chris Wang, the main character, spends his summer trying to navigate his feelings, friendships, and family relationships. He struggles with his childhood friends, his crush, Madi, and his family, including his older sister, Vivian, and his immigrant mother.
It depicts how Chris manages these challenges and, in the long run, gains self-acceptance. This applies to the work of Sean Wang, who referred to the movie as a ‘time capsule’ that depicted his teenage years. The movie itself is loaded with elements from the mid-2000s: AIM chat, MySpace, Facebook mentions, and early YouTube tutorials. These aspects of the film can be attributed to the relevance of the film to anyone who grew up during that time. Wang’s direction deals with the uncertainty and feelings of teenagers in instant messaging. Hence, the computer screen becomes the actor in the movie.
The use of language in the film is quite realistic for the period, some of the language used would be seen as politically incorrect today but would have been perfectly acceptable in the 80s for teenagers. This includes casual homophobic remarks as well as crude jokes, which make the book a crass but realistic sample of teenage boy literature. The movie manages all these factors well, demonstrating the raw truth of the times but without condoning the language.
The cast in “Dìdi (弟弟)” delivers convincing and powerful acting, particularly Izaac Wang as Chris. As an actor, he does a pretty good job at mimicking the technologies of the time and shares good camaraderie with his friends, played by newcomers Raul Dial and Aaron Chang. For this, the cast of the film received a special jury award at Sundance. There is also a biographical element when the film’s director, Sean Wang, casts his grandmother, Chang Li Hua, as Nai Nai.
The plot of “Dìdi (弟弟)” is not extraordinary and does not introduce or try anything really new, however it is very captivating and fun if the viewer remembers the time spent connected to internet in 2000s. It is humorous, sincere, and highly realistic, which is why the audience awarded the movie at the Sundance US Dramatic Competition. Observers have noted that Sean Wang’s film feels specific but broadly relatable, speaking to the teen experience and family relationships for many people.
Dìdi 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
Dìdi is Rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for Rated R for language throughout, sexual material, and drug and alcohol use – all involving teens.
Violence & Gore: The movie features common teenage confrontations, which are arguments and minor fights included in the story. Part of the detail is when Chris fights with one of his friends during an argument, and both physically fight by pushing each other. Chris engages in some heated arguments with his family members, most especially his elder sister, Vivian and his mum. Although such scenes can be intense, they are not a sign of aggression and do not include the use of physical force.
Profanity: In the dialogue, there is a great deal of Profanity, such as the use of ‘shit,’ ‘damn,’ ‘ass,’ and so on. The use of the words is understandable since the characters depicted are teenagers in the 2000s. They include casual homophobic remarks and crude jokes that would refer to homosexuals in a manner that is considered parlance today but practiced widely during the time depicted in the movie. This is contained in phrases like ‘gay’ when used in a disparaging way, which may offend some viewers.
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking: The film depicts teenage persons taking alcohol at parties, which is a violation of the legal age limit. Chris and his friends are depicted drinking secretly at a house party. The first scene, where the teenagers are seen smoking some cigarettes in their cars, is another typical teenage rebellion. One can occasionally hear teenagers discussing marijuana usage, but it is not the main focus of the movie.
Sex & Nudity: In this piece there is dialogue between teenage boys where they explore and joke about sexual activities with the girl of interest. These conversations can be quite direct, as might be expected in any conversations with teenagers where they are exploring sexual awareness and have a sense of humor. The only instance of misplaced sexuality is a scene where Chris imagines himself kissing Madi; however, this is not portrayed sexually but more funnily and clumsily. As for sexually explicit scenes, there are no scenes with nudity in the movie. This means that romantic touching is only reduced to kissing and holding hands.
