“Didi” is a Taiwanese American movie set in the summer of 2008 that depicts the life of Chris Wang (Izaac Wang), a pre-teen boy on his way to high school as he navigates friendship, dating and his relationship with his mother.

The story begins by introducing Chris’ family: a mean older sister, Vivian Wang (Shirley Chen), who is leaving for college, their mother, Chungsing Wang (Joan Chen), who is still trying her best to be a successful painter, and Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua), their grandmother, who believes that her daughter-in-law isn’t doing enough for her grandchildren. 

By immigrating from Taiwan to the United States, Chris’s mother is trying to survive and keep up her dreams while raising Vivian and Chris. We later learn that Chris’s father is working in Taiwan to support the family financially.

The story follows Chris as he navigates the challenges of being a pre-teen trying to figure out how to be  cool, like his closest friends Fahad (Raul Dial) and Soup (Aaron Chung), Another source of tension in the story for Chris comes from  trying to win over his crush, Madi (Mahaela Park). Like teenagers, Chris faces numerous peer-pressured decisions that he is willing to risk just to fit in. He also confronts the challenge of finding his worth in society as a minority and seeking academic validation within his mother’s friend group.

As Chris navigates his weird, rebellious phase, everything changes. His friendships change, his grandmother’s health declines, and his sister, who is about to leave for college, suddenly treats him kindly.

The film concludes with all the changes he faces, both internally and externally, leading to everyone leaving Chris. It is only when he feels alone that he realizes his mother is the most important person in his life, who cared for him through his stubbornness.

Didi is a story about Chris Wang and his rebellious times, and how the environment he chooses shapes his actions. Even though many events unfold around him that could have been more interesting, I believe Sean Wang — the writer, director, and producer of this film — wants to convey to viewers that this is a self-centered story about an average rebellious kid.

After watching the entire film, viewers might wonder what happened to his mother and father and what role Nai Nai plays in their relationship, what caused Vivian to change her attitude toward Chris, or how Nai Nai’s health is. There are so many unanswered questions throughout the movie.

The harsh answer I would give is that we shouldn’t care about answering them.

This is a story about Chris Wang, a pre-teen trying to get his life together. Viewers don’t get to know what made his sister suddenly become kind to him, nor do they understand his mother’s relationship with his grandmother, because those parts of the story aren’t clear for Chris himself. The characters surrounding him feel vague, but that is the point. Viewers are invited to experience this movie through Chris’s eyes — a pre-teen who doesn’t know or care about anything.

Yes, the story of his mother being in a long-distance marriage with his father and dealing with all her mother-in-law’s verbal assaults would  probably be more interesting and relevant to the plot. However, even from the title, Sean Wang has given the audience a clue that this is not a story about those other characters; it’s all about Chris.

The title “Didi” is the Chinese word for “younger brother,” and one thing viewers should note is that this is a semi-autobiographical movie. In interviews, Wang has called the movie Didi“a very personal story, but it’s not autobiographical.” He admits that some aspects of his personality as a 13-year-old are reflected in Chris.

Now we know why Wang chose that title — it serves as the focal point, the lens through which the story is told — from the perspective of a younger brother.

Pre-teen years are some of the most fun yet rebellious times in everyone’s life, when we often believe the world revolves around us. Wang portrays this theme exceptionally well. Perhaps through this film, he also wants viewers to reflect on what it truly looks like to be a stubborn pre-teenager like Chris.