Parents' Guide to Dìdi

Wang's semi-autobiographical dramedy is a realistic, emotional story of growing pains and immigrant-kid self-criticism. Well-acted and thoughtfully directed, the movie has similarities to Eighth Grade and is a reminder that adolescence is as confusing and difficult for boys as it is for girls, even in the early age of social media. Young Wang is both hilarious and heartbreaking as the titular Dìdi, who doesn't know how to talk to girls or feel secure in his identity. And Chen is fabulous as a mother whose husband lives in Taiwan while she deals with two kids and her critical, demanding mother-in-law.

There's lots of angst, drama, and secondhand embarrassment in Dìdi, but the movie's moments of levity and humor are clever enough to keep it from getting too sentimental. As in actual adolescence, the screenplay doesn't offer a neat "happily ever after" for Chris, but he does learn several lessons the hard way. Wang's sure-footed direction explores a lot of serious themes in only an hour and a half. This is the sort of film that will remind adults of the mortifying aspects of being 13 but also resonate with any child of immigrants who can recall feeling othered or called "cute for a (insert your cultural identity here)." With this feature, Wang—who also wrote and directed the Academy Award-nominated short film Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó—has positioned himself as a rising filmmaker to watch.