In Sean Wang’s ‘Dìdi’: A Young Skater Kid’s Artistic Journey

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Wang’s life took a radical turn in January over the course of just five days.

On January 19, his documentary short “Nai Nai & Wài Pó,” which is about his two grandmothers, was nominated for an Academy Award. Just four days later, on January 23, his feature film debut “Dìdi,” an introspective coming-of-age story based on his own experiences growing up in Fremont, California as the child of Taiwanese immigrants, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

“Dìdi” immediately garnered acclaim, being praised as an exciting debut from a new voice in filmmaking. The film, a sensitive and comedic portrayal of finding oneself during the early days of MySpace and AOL Messenger, went on to win an audience award and a prize for its ensemble cast at Sundance. In “Dìdi,” Chris Wang (played by Izaac Wang) hesitantly starts filming his friends’ skating tricks, reflecting Wang’s own early ventures behind the camera.

In one memorable scene, a character jokes that Chris, nicknamed “Wang Wang,” will thank them in his Oscar speech — a prophecy that almost came true before “Dìdi” even hit theaters. Though “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” didn’t win an Oscar, Wang’s grandmothers earned the title of “best dressed” from GQ.

“I’m sure people who saw the movie before the Oscars and post-Sundance were like, ‘Oh my god,’” Wang notes. “Now they’re like, ‘Well, it didn’t happen. Better luck next time, Wang Wang.’”

But for the 30-year-old Wang, success has been more about hard work than luck. “Dìdi,” which Focus Features releases this Friday, represents what Wang has been building toward through skateboarding videos, YouTube uploads, and short films — efforts that began with filming himself attempting ollies in the garage.

“There was something about it that I loved,” reflected Wang. “It felt like Legos; you start with nothing and by the end of it, you have something. And then you get to show your friends.”

Wang has brought this mindset to his filmmaking, creating collage-like movies with and about his friends and family. His short “3,000 Miles” recounted a year away from his parents using a soundtrack of voicemails from his mom. “H.A.G.S (Have a Good Summer)” featured Wang calling old middle school classmates who wrote in his yearbook to reflect on their unfolding adult lives.

“Dìdi,” akin to these shorts but more ambitious, is a blend of fact and fiction. It was filmed in Wang’s childhood home and neighborhood, with Chris’ mother played by Joan Chen, and the grandmother played by one of Wang’s real grandmothers, Zhang Li Hua. Wang’s real mother was also on set most days.

“The hope,” Wang says, “was always to keep it feeling very familial and homegrown and to have my real family become part of the process with my film family.”

In many ways, “Dìdi,” which means little brother in Mandarin, shares similarities with other coming-of-age films. “Stand By Me” served as an inspiration for Wang. The film includes memorable fights with his sister (Shirley Chen), shy encounters with girls, and disappointments with friends. However, Chris’ story is uniquely his own. His struggles with his mom involve complex feelings about his still-forming identity. Wanting to fit in with a new group of skaters, Chris lies about being “half Asian,” and a crush tells him he’s cute “for an Asian.” With gentle storytelling, “Dìdi” captures the nuanced experience of a first-generation kid balancing between two worlds.

“I was really cognizant of not making a capital-I Identity movie,” Wang explains. “A lot of what I wanted to capture was the feeling this kid goes through about being a kid in America with immigrant parents. The hope was that all the themes in the movie about identity, race, and adolescence are felt and not necessarily commented on.”

For Joan Chen, known for directing “The Last Emperor” and “Lust, Caution,” “Dìdi” resonated deeply. Speaking from Atlanta while shooting a Michael Showalter comedy, Chen shared how the film reflected her own experiences as a Chinese American mother in San Francisco.

“That kind of confusion — and the complex, fraught relationship with the mother-in-law — that is something that all Chinese daughters-in-law understand,” said Chen. “The immigrant experience was something I was very familiar with.”

One of Chen’s daughters helped on the set, making the project even more personal. “To have her see me play this mother was almost like telling her that I love her, that I want to do it all over again, to redeem myself,” Chen said.

To entice Chen to join the project, Wang sent her the script along with a personal letter. “Both impressed me,” Chen recalls. The 63-year-old actress now finds herself receiving more acclaim for this small indie film than she ever anticipated.

“Looking back, having done ‘The Last Emperor,’ such an epic film that won nine Oscars, I didn’t get attention like I’m getting right now,” Chen said, laughing.

Wang’s love for filming started with skate videos, not just capturing tricks but also making portraits of skaters in those in-between moments. He was influenced by Spike Jonze’s skate videos and the atmospheric style of videos on the skate website the Berrics.

“It was just fun. I liked the feeling of shooting stuff, putting it in a timeline, and adding music underneath. It was about capturing the feeling of what that day was like,” Wang said.

With the tools of filmmaking becoming more accessible, Wang’s focus turned toward narrative films during his time at the University of Southern California. His sense of cinematic possibilities expanded with films like Ryan Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station,” Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Short Term 12,” and Barry Jenkins’ “Medicine for Melancholy.”

For Izaac Wang, 16, working on “Dìdi” was a way to channel his own adolescent struggles while experiencing a coming-of-age journey on set. By staying with the actors who played his friends at Sundance, the experience became even more poignant.

“I learned a lot through this movie whether it be about acting or just being a better human being,” said Wang. “The overall feel of the crew, how everyone felt like a small family, was very heartwarming.”

Together, Joan Chen and Izaac Wang created one of the most memorable mother-son portrayals in recent years. The experience also transformed Wang in unexpected ways.

“I used to have really good posture before this movie,” he confessed. “But every scene, Sean would be like, ‘Can you just slouch a little bit more?’ Ever since then, I’ve just never been able to sit straight.”

Chen believes “Dìdi” was destined for its young director. Wang, aware of his breakthrough, knows his filmmaking journey has reached a turning point.

“I was talking about it with friends, all the skate videos and stuff I made as a kid, in my teenage years and early college, there was no fear attached to any of it,” Wang said. “Now, for better and for worse, there’s always an element of fear because you want it to be good.”

He added with a smile, “Yeah, but don’t look at my YouTube channel.”

Source: Associated Press