Didi review: A coming-of-age story that is nostalgic, poignant and painfully funny

DIDI

(15) 91mins 

★★★★☆

IN ye olden days of 2008 – before the reign of WhatsApp and TikTok, when the emoji alphabet was still in its infancy – tech-savvy teens communicated on their Windows desktops.

And it’s in his bedroom in California, on AOL messenger, Facebook wall-to-wall and the long-gone Myspace (R.I.P), that Taiwanese American teenager Chris Wang spends most of his time.

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That’s when he’s not Googling “How to kiss” and practising on an apple.

Chris is cyber-stalking his crush Madi, posting YouTube videos of exploding squirrels and trying to navigate the hormonal transition towards his adulthood years.

He is called Didi (“Little brother” in Mandarin) by his family, Wang-Wang by his buddies and Chris by the older skating dudes he’s desperately trying to impress.

Director and writer Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical debut comedy feature shows Chris coming of age in a messy and extremely relatable way.

There is chaos and angst inside his confused 13-year-old brain, which is besieged by online influences.

On the cusp of starting high school, Chris is surrounded by women, but he doesn’t understand them.

He lives with his overburdened mother Chungsing, who dreams of being an artist, older sister Vivian and his ferocious grandma (played by the director’s real-life granny).

He is growing apart from his childhood bestie Fahad.

But by his own admission, the harder and more obsessively he tries to get it right, the more Chris keeps misjudging situations and messing up

He secures a date with Madi — but it is then excruciating to watch his awkwardness when she makes a move on him.

Later, of course, he still tells his friends that he scored.

He insults Madi’s friends to their faces, thinking his offensive “rapper” language is cool.

Then punches another in a fit of rage.

When hanging out with the cool kids, who want him to video their skateboard tricks, he messes up again by failing to hit record.

A Noughties soundtrack and brief touches of surrealism from a talking sea bass add extra quirk to this nostalgic, poignant and painfully funny teenage tale.

LAURA STOTT

KENSUKE’S KINGDOM

(PG) 85mins

★★★★☆

THIS gentle and gorgeous animated tale about Michael, a boy who washes up on a Pacific island with his dog Stella, is guaranteed to tug at your heart strings.

With a screenplay adapted by Bafta-winner Frank Cottrell Boyce from the Michael Morpurgo book, there’s no shortage of wordsmiths behind this emotive story.

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And with characters brought to life by Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins and Ken Watanabe, it’s impossible not to be charmed.

It is cleverly captivating and has a soft and steady way of making you think about universal issues.

Friendship, survival and the atomic detonation in Nagasaki in World War Two are just some of the powerful and weighty themes that are beautifully considered.

And their enormity stays with you long after viewing.

The exquisitely drawn scenes – notably the stunning skies and hypnotic portrayals of water – are visually mesmerising, too.

Simple, unassuming but all the more deft and heartfelt for it, this film will resonate, whatever your age.

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON

(PG) 90mins    

★☆☆☆☆

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ADAPTED from a 1955 children’s book, this mangled tale of animated character Harold, who draws himself to life with his magic purple crayon, would have been better left inside young readers’ imaginations.

Eventually, our lead scribbles himself a portal to step into the real world, becomes human and goes in search of the old man who created him.

Joining him on his quest are his friends Moose and Porcupine, who take on toe-curling human interpretations of their respective creature traits.

Also part of the gang are new friends Terri (Zooey Deschanel from New Girl) and her son Mel.

Not much makes sense in this Dairy Milk-hued world.

Harold is like a bargain basement cross between Tom Hanks in Big and Will Ferrell in Elf, but with zero charm or nuance.

He thumps around guilelessly with a script that clunks with him.

The adult cast look mostly mortified.

And children – who are the alleged target audience of this mess – are unlikely to comprehend the surreal subplot with Jemaine Clement as creepy failed author Gary.