DAN WEBSTER:
Chris Wang—or Wang Wang, or Dìdi as he is alternately known—is struggling. And as the protagonist of writer-director Sean Wang’s film titled, succinctly enough Dìdi—which in Cantonese means “little brother”—he’s doing so in a way that is both universal and closely tied to his specific generation.
In the film, Chris (played by Izaac Wang, no relation to the filmmaker) lives in Fremont, California, a suburban city that sits just north of San Jose.
He lives with his mother (played by Joan Chen), older sister Vivian (played by Shirley Chen) and his paternal grandmother Nai Nai (played by Zhang Li Hua, who just happens to be filmmaker Wang’s real grandmother).
Chris’ father is missing, presumably because—we are told—he is back in Taiwan working to support the family. Whether this is a factor in Chris’ attitude is never made clear, though it’s likely. But it’s obvious that, just entering his adolescence, Chris is a lost soul.
His friends toy with him, addressing him by the diminutive "Wang Wang" and making him more of a mascot than an equal. And when he attempts to connect with the girl he likes, Madi (played by Mahaela Park), his innocence—not to mention his inherent shyness—causes him to miss his one good chance.
Even when he encounters a trio of skateboarders and convinces them that he is willing and able to film their stunts, he can’t follow through—YouTube video advice will get you only so far—and so he ends up alienating them as well.
Chris’s problem is one that has been covered by a number of similar coming-of-age movies, from Dazed and Confused to Thirteen, Eighth Grade to Mid90s: he simply doesn’t know how to be the person he fantasizes about becoming. And in Chris’ case, he has no one to guide him.
Sister Vivian is the star of the family, bound for college. Grandmother Nai Nai is a loving presence, but her advice is shaped by old-world attitudes and judgments. And his mother, though equally loving, is wrapped up in her own personal dramas involving how to keep the family intact while achieving some sense of her own long-held dream of becoming an artist.
So Chris is left on his own. And since this is 2008, he turns to that era’s version of social media: Myspace. It’s there that Chris does attempt to define himself, posting videos of him and his friends cavorting with dead animals, blowing up mailboxes and, in general, engaging in all those crazy, foolish, rebellious things that so many boys are compelled to do.
It's also where he changes who he is, or in any event who he represents himself to be—photos and videos, likes and dislikes—depending on the circumstances he encounters… which mostly involve his disappointing someone, a friend or family member, but ultimately himself.
So many such movies balance the harsher sides of growth pains with comedy, and Dìdi is no different—at least in its first half. Gradually, though, as Chris stumbles through one situation after the next, he grows ever more resentful, lashing out particularly at his mother and sister—even when they, when pushed, react with love, however misplaced.
One main strength of Wang’s film, which is based somewhat on his own experiences, is how it makes no excuses for Chris’ actions. Yes, his friends aren’t as sensitive to his needs as they might be, but most avoid being what a clichéd coming-of-age tale would make them: namely, mean girls or guys. They simply are selfish and thoughtless, as teens tend to be.
It's to Wang’s credit that he stresses how trapped Chris’ mother feels, too, watching her young son grow ever more angry while she nurses her own grievances. The result makes Dìdi an adult study of family dysfunction, though one that does end with a sense—yes, at least a sense—of hope.
Maybe in a couple of years, when he switches from Myspace to Facebook, as many other teens will end up doing, Chris might be able to find a self that is as satisfying as it is authentic. The fact that writer-director Wang himself did so is one clue that his protagonist’s story just might have a happy ending.
For Spokane Public Radio, I’m Dan Webster.
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Movies 101 host Dan Webster is the senior film critic for Spokane Public Radio and a blogger for Spokesman.com.