Dìdi

Dìdi (Chinese: 弟弟; lit. 'Younger Brother') is a 2024 American coming-of-age comedy drama film, written, directed, and produced by Sean Wang, in his directorial debut. It stars Izaac Wang and Joan Chen. Carlos López Estrada and Chris Columbus serve as producer and executive producer under their AntiGravity Academy and Maiden Voyage Pictures banners, respectively.

Dìdi
Directed by	Sean Wang
Written by	Sean Wang
Produced by	Sean Wang Carlos López Estrada Valerie Bush Josh Peters
Starring	Izaac Wang Joan Chen
Cinematography	Sam A. Davis
Edited by	Arielle Zakowski
Music by	Giosue Greco
Production companies	AntiGravity Academy Spark Features Unapologetic Projects Maiden Voyage Pictures
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release dates	January 19, 2024 (2024-01-19) (Sundance) July 26, 2024 (2024-07-26)
Running time	91 minutes^[1]
Country	United States
Languages	English Mandarin

Dìdi had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024, where it won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Ensemble.^[2] It is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024, by Focus Features.

Premise

Set in 2008, a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy learns how to skate, flirt and love his mother.^[3]

Cast

• Izaac Wang as Chris Wang
• Shirley Chen as Vivian Wang
• Chang Li Hua as Nai Nai
• Joan Chen as Chungsing Wang
• Raul Dial as Fahad Mahmood
• Aaron Chang as Jimmy Kim
• Mahaela Park as Madi
• Chiron Denk as Donovan
• Sunil Maurillo as Cory
• Montay Boseman as Nugget
• Georgie August as Georgia

Production

Principal photography took place in July 2023, in Fremont, California.^[4] The film consists mostly of first-time actors, from the Bay Area.^[5] The film was previously selected for the 2023 Sundance Institute Screenwriting & Directors Lab and the 2022 SFFILM Rainin Grant.^[6][7]

Release

Dìdi had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024.^[8] A few days later, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film.^[9] It also screened at South by Southwest on March 12, 2024 and is scheduled to be the closing film at Sundance's London edition on June 9, 2024.^[10][11][12] It also premiered internationally at the Beijing International Film Festival on April 19, 2024.^[13] It is scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024.^[14]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Dìdi holds an approval rating of 90%, based on 30 critic reviews with an average rating of 7.6/10.^[15] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, the film holds a score of 77 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[16]

In her review for The Guardian, Adrian Horton described Dìdi as "easily one of the best, most seamless films [she's] seen on the experience of growing up online" and declared it a "clear antecedent" to Eighth Grade (2018).^[17] Scott Phillips praised the cast performances in his review for Forbes and concluded: "It would be reductive to call Didi a 'feel good movie'. It never manipulates its audience, but it offers a great deal of comedy to go with its heavier themes. It feels like real life, finding the humor and the happiness that can be often be obscured by the challenges".^[18]

References

1. "Dìdi". Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
2. Buchanan, Kyle (2024-01-26). "'In the Summers,' a Father-Daughters Tale, Wins the Top Prize at Sundance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
3. "Dìdi (弟弟) | U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble - Dìdi (弟弟) | Sundance Film Festival 2024". festivalplayer.sundance.org. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
4. Lavalee, Eric (July 19, 2023). "Fremont Flirt: Sean Wang Begins Production on Sundance-Labbed "Dìdi"". ION Cinema. from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
5. Spicer, Lucy (January 8, 2024). "Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Sean Wang, the Writer-Director of "Dìdi (弟弟)"". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
6. "Meet the 2022 SFFILM Rainin Grant Winners". SSFILM. August 22, 2022. from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
7. "Meet the Sundance Institute 2023 Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Lab Fellows". Sundance Film Festival. April 27, 2023. from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
8. D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
9. Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (January 31, 2024). "Focus Features Buys Sundance Coming-of-Age Movie 'Didi'". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
10. "Didi". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
11. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2024). "SXSW 2024 Second Wave Includes Pics With Sydney Sweeney, Nicolas Cage, Camila Mendes & 'Monkey Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
12. Ramachandran, Naman (4 April 2024). "'Kneecap,' 'Dìdi' to Bookend Sundance London". Variety. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
13. "错过就不再！这届电影节最珍稀的放映，居然还有票？！". Beijing International Film Festival (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-05-03.
14. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 14, 2024). "Focus Features Sets Summer Release For Sundance Award Winner 'Didi'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
15. "Dìdi". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
16. "Dìdi". Metacritic. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
17. Horton, Adrian (2024-01-26). "Dìdi review – a tender, specific rendering of adolescence on the early internet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
18. Phillips, Scott. "2024 Sundance Films Breathe New Life Into Old Ideas". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-04.

External links

• Dìdi at IMDb