After several months of having Didi on the list of 2024 movies I needed to check out, I finally got around to watching Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story with my Peacock subscription. The movie, which follows Izaac Wang’s Chris “Didi” Wang as he navigates the confusing and complex summer between middle school and high school, hit me on so many different levels, but there was one dynamic that affected me the most.
The relationship between Didi and his mom, Chungsing Wang, played masterfully by Joan Chen, led to some of the film’s most emotional, heartwarming, hilarious, and intense scenes. After so many great father-son movies, it was great to find an excellent film about the bond shared by mother and son.
I Thought Didi Was Just Going To Be A Movie About An Angsty Teen Finding His Place In The World
When I first saw the Didi trailer earlier in the year, I thought the movie was just going to be about an angsty teenager finding his place in the world. With the prospect of a first romance, some intense fights between brothers and sisters, and a time machine that would take audiences back to 2008 and internet trends of the era (hello, MySpace “Top 8” and AIM sounds I haven’t heard in years), this looked like it was going to be right up my alley.
And, that is very much the case. Over the course of the 91-minute movie, Chris struggles time and time again to find his place in the world, even lying at times about his dad being white (something that is called out by his mom during a key scene). It also goes into friendship territory, as Didi tries to figure out if he wants to hang with his childhood friends or start a new path with a group of skaters.
So much about the movie was relatable, especially when it came to the change in dynamics amongst friend groups, especially as Didi and Fahad Mahmood (Raul Dial) began to slowly drift apart. I remember those childhood friendships that once felt so strong and unending slowly dissolving for one reason or another.
Though That Is True, The Movie Spends A Lot Of Time Focusing On Chris’ Relationship With His Mom
Though a large chunk is about Chris trying to find his place in the changing world and attempting to make sense of everything that is going on, Didi also spends a considerable amount of time diving into the relationship the 13-year-old has with his mother. And that’s where it really shines.
This movie contains one of the most honest, nuanced, and realistic depictions of a mother and teenage son attempting to navigate their changing dynamic. On one hand, Chris thinks he’s no longer the little boy that his mother has to use as a way to brag to her friends and family. On the other, Chungsing knows that her son is not quite old enough to know how the world really works. This difference in perspective leads to some major blowups and intense moments over the course of their shared story, but it leads to a rekindling of their bond once they find common ground.
In Fact, Chungsing Wang’s Own Personal Journey Was One Of My Favorite Aspects Of The Movie
I would go so far as to say that Chungsing Wang’s personal journey was one of my favorite aspects of Didi. Though I related more with Chris, as I was once an angsty 13-year-old who loved punk rock and butting heads with my mom, I had a lot of empathy for the mother of two who was essentially raising two kids on her own (though her elderly Chinese mom was there to help and put her down).
As my colleague Sarah El-Mahmoud pointed out in her story talking about her Oscar hopes for the film, Didi is a great immigrant parent story when it comes to Chungsing, one that is told with a level of detail and subtlety that feels incredibly authentic. Caught between her old world with her mother and the customs in which her two kids have grown up in, Chungsing is often being pulled in different directions with no time for herself. What little time she does have for herself is spent working on wonderful paintings, the same pieces of art Chris constantly puts down in front of his friends.
The Dynamic Shared By The Mother And Son Got Me Thinking About My Own Relationship With My Mom
My mom and I have an incredible relationship these days, but there was a rough patch for a few years when I was a teenager. We butted heads, said things we didn’t mean to hurt one another, and just couldn’t get along, no matter how hard we tried. Over the years, I’ve come to accept the fact that I was being a rebellious and selfish shithead of a son who thumbed his nose at authority or anyone who got between me and what I wanted to do (so, mostly my mom). Watching Didi reinforced that.
The movie essentially also got me thinking about those difficult years from an outside perspective, which allowed me to fully understand what my mom was going through at that time. My grandma, just like Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua), was a strong-willed and opinionated force in our family who had a habit of stepping on my mom’s toes when it came to raising her grandchildren. Watching Nai Nai and Chungsing compete with one another left me with a better understanding of that dynamic.
I Didn't Think Didi Was Going To Have Me Calling My Mom, But Here I Am
I didn’t think there was going to be a movie in 2024 that made me want to call my mom, and I certainly didn’t think Didi was going to be that film, but here I am. This was one of those transformative experiences that made me want to apologize to my mom and say how sorry I was for being such a little shit and constantly testing her when all she was doing was being a good mom. I’m lucky that I was able to patch things over all those years ago, lucky I still have her around today, and lucky to have her as a mom.
Didi may not end up being the best movie of the year, but this personal exploration of a son and mother’s changing dynamic is one of the new and recent streaming titles I won't soon forget. And if you want to hear more about how the coming-of-age drama came to be, check out ReelBlend’s interview with Sean Wang.
