Didi – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Didi – Summer of Teenage Angst … Who Am I?

To tell a story, it becomes a window into the eyes of one’s vision.  From ideals to the familiar, what breeds inspiration becomes a layer of many things.  From action to romance, what pulls you in is all subjective, but there are times of consensus value.  Sometimes, it is the simple tales that have the strongest heart.  In this review, I look at the latest coming-of-age tale to hit the big screen.  Through the eyes of a teenager, this is a tale that spins familiar within genuine elements.  For all that feels obvious, Didi is an enduring tale of what it means to find yourself in adolescence.

In a story about angst and growing up, a teenage boy navigates the waters of impressionable things to figure out … what it means to be you.  At the heart of any film, there is a contextual grip that makes manners relative to the audience.  For all the bombastic and surreal escapes, the hardest grips come in the simple tales of life.  With this coming-of-age tale, it navigates familiar themes through a genuine foundation of family, culture and characterization.  We come into the film through the drop-in method, getting a general look at Izaac Wang (Chris Wang), a young Taiwanese teenager living with his mother, sister and grandmother in the California suburbs in 2008.  Through the first half, it is a layering of familiar tropes that blends Asian culture within scenes of teenage antics, sibling rivalry and romantic crushes.  This mixture helps build a foundation that creates moments of joy, laughter, love and anxiety, showcasing how a 13-year-old boy is trying to figure out his place among his many groups (school friends, family, skater boys, etc.).  This navigation provides a lift from the general coming-of-age themes, one that propels a down-to-earth approach through culture, angst and individuality.  These moments become a foreshadowing within an endearing thread, propelling the character(s) into a second half that builds on situations that become ominous, heartfelt and most of all … genuine. 

As Izaac starts to leave certain comforts, it becomes a leveling of truth among this uncharted territory.  As certain interactions become a hardship of trial and error, it becomes a manner of circumstance that breeds emotional fortitude in our main character.  The trouble of decisions becomes a manner of personal reflection, creating a place of heart among the flaws of growing up.  With Izaac at a crossroads, it leads into a third act that levels within conversations of raw confessions.  As things become a mirror of circumstance, we head into an honest/opened climax and a hopeful like epilogue.  Didi is a coming-of-age tale that plays within familiar things but ends up in a place of heartfelt moments.  If you are a fan of coming-of-age films, culture or character-like tales, this is one for you.  I say there is fun to be had with this film.

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)