Dìdi (弟弟) (2024)
Movie · 2024 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 34m · R · English
Curator score: 8.2/10 (300.8K ratings)
Tagline: For anyone who's ever been a teenager.
In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 8.2/10
- IMDb: 7.3/10
- Letterboxd: 3.99/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
- Metacritic: 78
- TMDB: 7.2/10
Director: Sean Wang
Production: Unapologetic Projects, Spark Features, Antigravity Academy, Maiden Voyage Pictures, Cedar Road, Liucrative Media
Cast: Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua, Mahaela Park, Raul Dial, Aaron Chang, Chiron Cillia Denk, Sunil Mukherjee Maurillo, Montay Boseman, Alysha Syed, Alaysia Simmons, Tarnvir Kamboj, Shiu Fang Wang, Jayden Chiang, Joziah Lagonoy, Joshua Hankerson, Georgie August, Kade Hunter, Jerri Bowen
Where to watch: Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict: A warm, sharply observed coming-of-age story that balances cringe comedy with real tenderness. It stands out for its specific 2008 time capsule, its honest look at boyhood, and the emotional center of a mother-son relationship that gives the film real staying power.
Best for: coming-of-age dramedies; millennial and Gen Z nostalgia; family stories with emotional honesty; viewers who like awkward, funny teen behavior; diaspora and identity-focused stories
Skip if: you want a plot-heavy or high-concept movie; you dislike secondhand embarrassment and social awkwardness; you prefer broad studio comedy over intimate character work; you are not in the mood for a bittersweet teen memory piece
Overview: Dìdi is one of those coming-of-age films that feels both painfully specific and instantly recognizable. Set in the last stretch of summer in 2008, it captures the messy social logic of early adolescence: the lies, the posturing, the internet-fueled self-invention, and the desperate need to seem older than you are. The movie gets a lot of mileage out of small humiliations, but it never feels mean about its characters.
Worth noting: What gives the film its emotional weight is the family dynamic, especially the bond between the boy and his mother. The comedy comes from embarrassment and overconfidence, but the deeper feeling is gratitude, confusion, and love that the kid doesn’t yet know how to express. That balance makes it resonate beyond its very specific cultural and generational details.
Bottom line: It’s also a strong showcase for lived-in performances and a precise sense of period texture. The movie understands the emotional weather of the late-2000s internet era without turning it into a gimmick, and it uses that backdrop to tell a story about identity, masculinity, and growing up with more tenderness than swagger.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- gavin: Coming of age is appreciating your mom. Beautiful film.
- johnbarnes: Character: “You’re cute for an Asian guy.”
THE ENTIRE THEATER COLLECTIVELY: “oh that’s not-“
- Karsten: so lovely ❤️ i have never lived a unique experience apparently
- ace: THERES NO MORE ROOM IN THE CAR‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥
- Ella Kemp: it’s okay to kind of suck sometimes for a while actually!
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- The 400 Blows (1959 · Drama · 1h 39m · NR · Curator 9.4/10 (420.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Boyhood (2014 · Drama · 2h 45m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (991.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu, AMC+, Philo, Sundance Now, MUBI)
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- The Farewell (2019 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 9.0/10 (405.1K ratings))
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- Turning Red (2022 · Animation, Family, Comedy · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 5.1/10 (1.4M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus)
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Topics: coming-of-age, dramedy, teen awkwardness, family dynamics, Asian American, 2000s nostalgia, internet culture, identity, bittersweet, indie
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/d-di/1158915
Dìdi (弟弟) (2024)
Movie · 2024 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 34m · R · English
Curator score: 8.2/10 (300.8K ratings)
For anyone who's ever been a teenager.
Overview In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.2/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.99/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 78
TMDB: 7.2/10
Production Unapologetic Projects, Spark Features, Antigravity Academy, Maiden Voyage Pictures, Cedar Road, Liucrative Media
Cast Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, Chang Li Hua, Mahaela Park, Raul Dial, Aaron Chang, Chiron Cillia Denk, Sunil Mukherjee Maurillo, Montay Boseman, Alysha Syed, Alaysia Simmons, Tarnvir Kamboj, Shiu Fang Wang, Jayden Chiang, Joziah Lagonoy, Joshua Hankerson, Georgie August, Kade Hunter, Jerri Bowen
Where to watch Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, sharply observed coming-of-age story that balances cringe comedy with real tenderness. It stands out for its specific 2008 time capsule, its honest look at boyhood, and the emotional center of a mother-son relationship that gives the film real staying power.
Best for
coming-of-age dramedies
millennial and Gen Z nostalgia
family stories with emotional honesty
viewers who like awkward, funny teen behavior
diaspora and identity-focused stories
Skip if
you want a plot-heavy or high-concept movie
you dislike secondhand embarrassment and social awkwardness
you prefer broad studio comedy over intimate character work
you are not in the mood for a bittersweet teen memory piece
Overview
Dìdi is one of those coming-of-age films that feels both painfully specific and instantly recognizable. Set in the last stretch of summer in 2008, it captures the messy social logic of early adolescence: the lies, the posturing, the internet-fueled self-invention, and the desperate need to seem older than you are. The movie gets a lot of mileage out of small humiliations, but it never feels mean about its characters.
Worth noting
What gives the film its emotional weight is the family dynamic, especially the bond between the boy and his mother. The comedy comes from embarrassment and overconfidence, but the deeper feeling is gratitude, confusion, and love that the kid doesn’t yet know how to express. That balance makes it resonate beyond its very specific cultural and generational details.
Bottom line
It’s also a strong showcase for lived-in performances and a precise sense of period texture. The movie understands the emotional weather of the late-2000s internet era without turning it into a gimmick, and it uses that backdrop to tell a story about identity, masculinity, and growing up with more tenderness than swagger.
Top Letterboxd reviews
gavin (5★) · 12765 likes
Coming of age is appreciating your mom. Beautiful film.
johnbarnes (4.5★) · 8674 likes
Character: “You’re cute for an Asian guy.”
THE ENTIRE THEATER COLLECTIVELY: “oh that’s not-“
Karsten (4★) · 7893 likes
so lovely ❤️ i have never lived a unique experience apparently
ace (4★) · 6781 likes
THERES NO MORE ROOM IN THE CAR‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥
Ella Kemp (4.5★) · 6715 likes
it’s okay to kind of suck sometimes for a while actually!
Recommended similar titles
1959 · Drama · 1h 39m · NR · Curator 9.4/10 (420.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A foundational coming-of-age film about boyhood, alienation, and the emotional confusion of growing up.
2014 · Drama · 2h 45m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (991.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu, AMC+, Philo, Sundance Now, MUBI
Shares the patient, observational approach to adolescence and the sense of time passing through small moments.
2018 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 34m · R · Curator 7.8/10 (531.8K ratings)
A painfully honest portrait of adolescent self-consciousness, social performance, and inner panic.
2017 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 34m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (3.3M ratings)
A sharp, funny, emotionally direct mother-child coming-of-age story with a strong sense of place.
2013 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 43m · PG-13 · Curator 6.1/10 (165.2K ratings)
A tender summer coming-of-age film about insecurity, belonging, and finding confidence in small steps.
1985 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 38m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, AMC+, Philo, Netflix Standard with Ads
An iconic teen film about identity, embarrassment, and the gap between how kids act and how they feel.
2007 · Comedy · 1h 53m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (2.7M ratings)
For the cringe-comedy energy of teenage overconfidence, social panic, and friendship as survival.
2012 · Drama · 1h 43m · PG-13 · Curator 7.9/10 (3.4M ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo
A sensitive teen drama about loneliness, self-discovery, and the emotional intensity of adolescence.
2021 · Drama · 1h 55m · PG-13 · Curator 9.1/10 (628.6K ratings)
A family-centered immigrant story that pairs humor with tenderness and generational tension.
2019 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 9.0/10 (405.1K ratings)
A culturally specific family dramedy that finds humor and heartbreak in love, obligation, and unspoken feeling.
2022 · Animation, Family, Comedy · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 5.1/10 (1.4M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus
A lively, affectionate story about adolescence, family pressure, and the chaos of growing up.
2017 · Drama · 1h 52m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (1.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Max
Captures childhood perspective with vivid detail, humor, and a bittersweet undercurrent of vulnerability.
Topics
coming-of-age, dramedy, teen awkwardness, family dynamics, Asian American, 2000s nostalgia, internet culture, identity, bittersweet, indie
Open Dìdi (弟弟) (2024) on Curator TV