What Sean Wang's feature debut, Dìdi, offers the coming-of-age genre
The film follows a young Asian American boy during the last month of summer before high school begins
Dìdi is the feature-length debut from filmmaker Sean Wang, who was nominated for an Oscar last year with his short film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.
In Dìdi, Sean is drawing from his own experiences to give his spin on the classic coming-of-age story. Set in 2008, the film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy as he learns "how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom."
The film won an Audience Award and a Special Jury award for its cast when it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Now, as it earns rave reviews in the run up to its wide release this Friday, film critic Rachel Ho joins guest host Rad Simonpillai to explain what makes it stand out from other coming-of-age stories in recent memory.
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Rachel Ho produced by Stuart Berman.