Dìdi

Review: This film follows a Taiwanese-American boy in the summer before high school and his navigation of making friends, getting girls, skating, filming, and having fun. A simple premise, it is a very layered story that touches on familial, relational, and societal issues encountered in everyday life. The film features a lesser known cast and that really works in its favor. Set in 2008, Chris is older than I would’ve been at the time, but the film still feels incredibly nostalgic in a pre-smart technology world. The film is incredibly relatable, and I mean that in the since of being a teenager looking for your place. I would imagine for Asian-Americans the film would be even more relatable, but I’m not that so I’ll let someone else make that call.

High: The high is undoubtedly the cinematography. We see a combination of techniques that makes you feel immersed into the story, such as making Chris’s computer the full screen or showing us the world through his lens.

Low: My low is not going to be about this film, but about film in general. I wish more movies like this made it to the forefront. A coming of age dramedy with a small budget and almost entirely unknown cast, with a debuting director, this film is one that will be lost in time, but doesn’t deserve to be. As a white man, I don’t feel underrepresented in any aspect of life, especially films, but I’m socially aware enough to see the lack of representation for minorities, especially in this genre. I would highly recommend you support this film by watching it (can be found on Peacock).

Rating: 8/10