Didi is an earnest, truthful, and gently painful coming-of-age film about being 13 years old. Specifically a Taiwanese-American boy growing up in the late 2000s. And I’m still getting over nostalgic coming-of-age movies set in the 90s and now I have to deal with nostalgic coming-of-age movies set in 2008? Time is the crucible in which we burn.

Specifically, this film follows a young teen over the course of a Summer, just figuring out who he is, finding friends, dealing with his older sister, his mom, and his casual discomfort at being full blood Taiwanese living in the US.

There’s nothing overly dramatic about this film and that’s to its credit. Nobody gets shot, nobody goes to prison… it’s about a boy living a regular life with the usual low level teen crises. Trying too hard to be cool, dealing with your family, and learning skater lingo via Google Search…. you know, all those time-honored, universal things.

The film is charming and sweet and sad and you’ll be moved if you’ve ever said the wrong thing to your mom and felt bad about it. Or tried too hard to be cool around your friends. It has a universality to it that felt as warm and cold as a hug.

It’s also about the immigrant experience without leaning too hard into it. The kid is more acutely aware of his ancestry than the kids he hangs out with. This is an American film largely in English with Chinese spoken by the adults. I suspect it’s a very personal film for the writer/direct (and cast, probably).

I was moved and I felt warmth about this little film. It is made of earnest, human feelings that most everyone can relate to (since most of us were once awkward 13 year olds). It’s definitely worth checking out.

Score: 87