There are such a bounty of moments of breathtaking specificity and quiet poignancy in Dìdi—writer-director Sean Wang’s Sundance Audience Award-winning debut feature about a Taiwanese American kid growing up in the East Bay—that it is almost heartbreaking to delectate on just a few. But by centering on the start of the film and its conclusion, you realize Wang possesses not only a preternatural feel for the emotional jumble of boyhood, but also an astute understanding of both film structure and how to mine many layers of unforced truth from his troupe of talented actors. (The film also took home a Sundance Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.)

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DÌDI ★★★★ (4/4 stars)
Directed by: Sean Wang
Written by: Sean Wang
Starring: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua, Raul Dial, Aaron Chang, Mahaela Park
Running time: 93 mins.

Kicking off with a bang, the film opens with Izaac Wang’s Chris—known to his junior high friends as Wang Wang and to his family........

© Observer