Middle school drama and struggling with one’s identity—things that many know all too well. The 2024 film “Dìdi” touches on both of those things beautifully and in a relatable way.
The Asian/Asian American Faculty & Staff Association at the University of Connecticut held a screening of “Dìdi,” accompanied by a panel discussion, on Tuesday, April 1, to kick off their celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Although Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is officially in May, the university is choosing to celebrate it during April so students can get the full experience before leaving campus for summer.
“Culture is what rounds us and makes us who we are,” said panelist Sou Thammavong and staff for the UConn Transformation, Equity, Access and Sense of Belonging (TEAS) Project.
Students and faculty filled the Student Union Theater to come together in celebration and watch the award-winning film. Student members of the Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC) welcomed guests with smiling faces and a plethora of complimentary Asian snacks and beverages.
“Dìdi” is a coming-of-age film that follows the 2008 summer of 13-year-old Chris Wang’s life. Nicknamed “Wang Wang,” Chris struggles to fit in with his peers, accept his cultural identity and navigate familial issues. Wang and his older sister, Vivian, are of Taiwanese American heritage and his mother and grandmother are both immigrants.
“This film is all encompassing,” said Elisa Tolentino, the graduate assistant at AsACC.
Audience members also expressed their connection to the film, feeling as though they could resonate with Chris’ experiences.
Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, “Dìdi” won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award Best Ensemble Cast. The director of the film, Sean Wang, made his narrative debut with “Dìdi.”
The film is very nostalgic, using common technology from the 2000s to help tell Wang’s story. Flip phones, desktops and YouTube are all essential parts of Chris’ life, with interest in videography and the visual arts.
The film really does cover a little bit of everything. From young romance to parenthood to sibling rivalry, Wang illustrates essential parts of adolescent life. Chris’ Asian heritage is crucial to his story, as he learns to be confident in who he is, having previously lied about being “half-Asian.”
“I did not realize how much I needed to see people who look like me on screen,” said journalist Catherine Shen.
On the topic of authentic representation in the media, Haritha Subramanian, vice president of UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government, said, “We do not get our stories told.”
Subramanian expressed that real representation, such as in “Dìdi,” is incredibly valuable compared to the stereotype-filled media that many grew up with.
In agreement, Juanito Briones, a student staff member at the AsACC, shared his past with cultural assimilation and setting his profile names to “Tony” as a child. In the film, “Wang Wang” chooses to tell his new white and black friends that his name is Chris, despite previously going by his nickname with his old Asian friends.
At the end of the film, all conflict is resolved, as Chris reconciles with his mother and sister and reconnects with his true friends.
“[The end] felt very hopeful for Dìdi,” said Thammavong.