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Didi is finally streaming, and the 96% fresh coming-of-age drama is gathering plenty of hype as one of the years best movies. The story follows a young boy named Didi, who learns the importance of friendship, family, and accepting yourself during his final summer before high school begins. Its a powerful story of self-worth and individualism, which has plenty of relatable moments that make it a breezy and entertaining watch for all audiences. Just like the very best coming-of-age movies, it uses humor and relatability to explore several important, mature themes.

Didi is the feature-length debut of director Sean Wang, who became known for his successful short films Sunday and Hags (Have A Good Summer). The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it opened to excellent reviews and ultimately received the US Dramatic Audience Award. Didis portrayal of the Asian-American experience is a perfect reflection of many peoples lives,...

Chris Wang reminds us how annoying teenagers can be in this comedy-drama. The film's use of humor undermines its deep themes and emotional moments. The meaningful exploration of the themes lacks in Sean Wang's feature debut.

On the poster for Focus Features latest coming-of-age drama, Ddi (2024) , the tagline reads for anyone whos ever been a teenager. I have to wonder if that was meant as a nice dedication or a painful reflection on the annoyances of dealing with teenagers. Written and directed by Sean Wang, his feature-length directorial debut touches on these awkward years by centering on an Asian American boy growing up in the 2000s. With it comes commentary on identity, family, friendship, and more. Occasionally humorous but mostly irritating, Ddi requires great patience from those of us who've grown weary of this genre.

Ddi (2024)

Director Sean WangRelease Date August 16, 2024Writers Sean WangCast Chiron Cillia Denk, Aaron Chang,...

While trying to chat up classmate Madi (Mahaela Park) on Aim, Chris (Izaac Wang) skims her MySpace for an “in”. Then, beneath all the Paramore pictures and low-res GIFs is a list of her favorite movies. Oh, A Walk to Remember is one of them. He fakes loving it; “its helllllla good,” he says. Now he has to maintain that––at least for a few scenes. This sort of thing happens throughout Sean Wang’s feature directorial debut. The character moments flow on a moment-to-moment basis and the period detail is quite good beneath it. Ultimately, Dìdi (弟弟) works despite its untapped potential.

Summer 2008 is coming to an end. The youngest of his Taiwanese-American family, Chris gets ready for high school while his sister Vivian (Shirley Chen) prepares to go to college. Their mother, a painter named Chungsing (Joan Chen), exists in the script’s peripheries for stretches, while grandmother...

With his 2008-set Dìdi, Sean Wang captures the intermingling of adolescent friendship and early social media through the lens of the Asian American diaspora, and with welcome specificity. The importance that a MySpace Top 8 and profile song carries in the world of Chris (Izaac Wang), a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy, cannot be overstated, nor can the significance of AOL Instant Messenger in sustaining and expanding his friend circle, nor his YouTube channel in allowing him to express his sense of humor.

When it homes in on the disparities and contradictions between Chris’s online and real-life interactions, emotions, and behavior, Dìdi feels nothing short of truthful. Chris is a typically insecure teen, but to such an extreme that he’s almost preternaturally self-sabotaging. And Wang admirably doesn’t shy away from depicting Chris at his most awkward or abhorrent and the myriad ways his behavior alienates him from family and friends,...

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." Focus Features has unveiled the official trailer for Didi, the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sean Wang (of the short Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó) - who is one of my favorite new filmmakers from 2024. I love this film! At its premiere in competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival it received critical & audience acclaim, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award & also the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast. "For anyone who's ever been a teenager." In 2008, during the last month of summer 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. A distinct coming-of-age story from Sean Wang. The film stars Izaac Wang as Chris "Didi" Wang, with Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua as Nai Nai,...