When done right and a movie captures the time period in which it’s set pitch-perfectly, it is a reflection of its audience and resonates so much deeper and more personally with those of that era. Some movies that come to mind that are that perfect-capturing embodiment are Jonah Hill’s mid90s (2018) and Chandler Levack’s I Like Movies (2022). With that being said, Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟) certainly is in some exquisite company, and while the movie is specific to a demographic, the message is universal, even if some of the challenges aren’t entirely relatable.
Izaac Wang as Chris Wang in writer/director Sean Wang’s DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Focus Features / Talking Fish Pictures. © Talking Fish Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Dìdi (弟弟) focuses on Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) as he is 13, going into high school, and still trying to find his footing as a teenage boy. He wants to break away from his family which consists of his mom, Chungsing (Joan Chen); his sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen); and his Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua) (his dad’s mother). He has some friends, like Fahad (Raul Dial), but he’s slowly leaning towards some new friends amidst his interests changing and wanting to become a filmmaker and record his new friends skateboarding. Atop trying to become an amateur filmmaker though, he has to learn how to engage with the opposite sex and how to exist in his own skin, which, unexpectedly, helps him establish a new-found love and respect for his mother along the way — the latter being the bumpiest of the journey. While being 13 is daunting enough, the emergence of social media (the beginning of YouTube and Facebook) changed what it meant to be a teenager, making it more challenging at this time. Dìdi (弟弟) looks at growing up in the late ‘00s and what it was like to navigate it.
L-R: Actor Izaac Wang and writer/director Sean Wang on the set of DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Iris Lee / Talking Fish Pictures. © Talking Fish Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
For Sean Wang’s first feature film both writing and directing, Dìdi (弟弟) feels like something personal. Noone makes a time capsule piece about adolescence that works unless it is personal, in my opinion, but capturing it so effortlessly makes it feel lived in. We are watching Chris and are most likely seeing a younger version of ourselves (if 2008 is representative of when we were in that 13ish age group). Dìdi (弟弟) truly captures everything that was happening in that late-2000s time frame and being that adolescent boy trying to navigate day to day and making memories that eventually shaped us into the people we ended up becoming.
L-R: Izaac Wang as Chris Wang and Mahaela Park as Madi in writer/director Sean Wang’s DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Focus Features / Talking Fish Pictures. © Talking Fish Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
While this got a quiet release on Blu-ray, it is the only version of the film currently available on physical media in North America, and possibly globally (according to Blu-ray.com, at least). For a film that is so impactful and so wonderfully crafted, it is a shame that this wasn’t a wider release and more accessible to people. At least it exists on physical media versus being relegated to a solely digital release. While looking at the box art itself, there is something incredibly interesting I noticed, and that is that Mondo (the poster/toy company) is listed and I believe that’s because they released the soundtrack on vinyl (but cannot confirm if that is the only reason why). The only downside to this Blu-ray of Dìdi (弟弟) is there is no digital copy so you can watch it on the go, or anywhere that is not your designated viewing area, and it boasts a singular feature. “The Making of Dìdi (弟弟)” feature is pretty standard. It’s nothing groundbreaking or redefining, but a feature aside from the standard commentary track (which this does not have) is also just refreshing against the standard expectation.
L-R: Izaac Wang as Chris Wang and Joan Chen as Chungsing Wang in writer/director Sean Wang’s DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Focus Features / Talking Fish Pictures. © Talking Fish Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Since Dìdi (弟弟) is a 2024-made movie and not factually a movie that was shot in 2008 as the time period of the movie, the Blu-ray only release with it being upscaled off a 4K player on a 4K tv looks perfectly adequate, there is no detail missing, nothing feeling out of the ordinary or needed extra. While the highest resolution is always preferred, releasing a singular Blu-ray instead of a higher priced 4K Blu-ray combo pack is certainly more reasonable in this case. Overall, Dìdi (弟弟) may be lacking on features, and the purists who are 4K-or-bust are surely going to be missing one of the year’s best, but this Blu-ray is more than good enough and the quality of the film speaks volumes to earn that space on the coveted shelf.
Dìdi (弟弟) Special Features
- The Making of Dìdi (弟弟): A behind the scenes look into the making of this unique coming-of-age story set in the early 2000s, with commentary by director, cast and crew.
Available on digital September 3rd, 2024.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD October 29th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Focus Features Dìdi (弟弟) website.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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