Dìdi (2024)

(Chinese: 弟弟; literally 'Younger Brother')

I'm not gonna lie. This movie made me feel really, really, really (really) down in the dumps afterwards. For so many reasons, I don't even know how to get into it. For example, because we're already making nostalgic coming-of-age movies about kids growing up in 2008 (I've never felt so old). But also for so many things I could both relate to and not relate to at all. 

Chris Wang is a 13-year-old who lives in California with his immigrant mother and teenage sister. He struggles to assimilate with American culture and cruel classmates who harbor prejudice towards him, while he attempts to win over the affections of his school crush, and generally making poor decisions along the way. I can of course relate to fucking everything up unintentionally with people and somehow always doing the wrong thing, no matter what.

It's a good movie, though; just hard for me to watch.

3 AIM conversations out of 5