Sean Wang and Joan Chen Reflect on 'Dìdi (弟弟)' Their Coming-of-Age Film Set in Fremont

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4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical new film “Dìdi (弟弟)” follows a 13-year-old skater in 2008 Fremont, California, the summer before he starts high school. Called “Dìdi” by his family, “WangWang” by his Fremont friends and crush, and “Chris” by the skaters he wants to befriend, the protagonist blunders through an adolescence set among real-life Fremont skate spots and Sean Wang’s own childhood bedroom. As Dìdi learns how to navigate friendships and crushes via MySpace and AIM, he also learns how to see his immigrant mother, played by Joan Chen, as her own person. Sean Wang, who is 30, was nominated for an Academy Award last year for his documentary short “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó,” about his paternal and maternal grandmothers, both immigrants from Taiwan. “Dìdi,” Wang’s feature-length debut, received a standing ovation at Sundance, along with the Audience Award and a prize for its ensemble cast. We’ll talk with Wang and Chen about depicting the Bay Area of 2008 and their own reflections on coming of age. Guests: Joan Chen, actor-producer, Dìdi (弟弟) Sean Wang , director, Dìdi (弟弟) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Hey, forum listeners, it's Mina. I have exciting news. We're taking forum beyond the airwaves,
0:05.5	beyond podcasts, to your screens. Now you can watch the forum conversations you love and be in the
0:11.3	room with me, Alexis, and our guests as we talk about the Bay Area, California, and beyond. Check it out
0:17.2	at YouTube.com slash KQED News. YouTube.com slash KQBD News. YouTube.com slash KQBD News.
0:24.5	Greetings, boomtown.
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1:00.0	From KQED in San Francisco, this is Forum.
1:00.9	I'm Mina Kim.
1:05.7	Director Sean Wong's coming-of-age film, Didi, takes us back to middle school and all the confusion, angst, and insecurity of being 13,
1:09.9	with the added layers of being Asian American in Fremont,
1:13.1	with an immigrant mom, played by Joan Chen.
1:15.6	It's also 2008, when friendships and crushes are playing out on platforms like MySpace and AOL Instant Messenger.
1:22.6	We'll talk with Wang and Chen about depicting the very specific circumstances of the film's
1:28.0	main character, Chris, and making it feel familiar.
1:32.4	What do you remember about being 13?
1:35.0	Join us. Welcome to Forum. I'm Nina Kim. In John Wong's new film, Didi, there's Live 105 on the radio, a Google search for Best SkateSpot's, Stalking It Crushes MySpace. It's these moments that put you in the world of protagonist Chris Wang, a 13-year-old in the Bay Area City of Fremont in 2008,
2:03.8	living with his college-bound sister and mom and grandma,
	...

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