I know that might sound exaggerated, but trust me. I just saw my favorite new release of the year so far and I hope every movie lover sees it too. This new film is called Didia wonderfully honest coming-of-age comedy written and directed by an exciting young Taiwanese-American named Sean Wang (Nai Nai and Wai Po2023). Didi premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year, was received with great enthusiasm by Focus Features and distributed to select theaters nationwide in late July.

Set in the summer of 2008 in a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area, the film is about a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy who tries to master important rites of passage (like impressing a pretty girl, getting invited to parties, and getting into fights) before entering high school. As Sean Wang’s first feature film, Didi is semi-autobiographical, which is partly why the entire film seems so personal, lived and authentic.

This director is smart because this semi-autobiographical film is not just about showing and recounting his childhood memories, but also about exploring the emotions and experiences in the whirlwind of adolescence. We have enjoyed such films before, like Stand by Me (1986) and Mid-90s (2018). But Didi is strikingly different, presenting a slice of 21st century Asian American life in the early years of social media with the nostalgia of flip phones, instant messengers and MySpace. (This social media element of Didi reminiscent of the wonderful coming-of-age comedy from 2018, Eighth grade.)

The title character is neither easy to love nor well-mannered. He blows up a mailbox, contradicts his mother and steals from stores, and that gives this film more personality than if it had been created by a giant movie studio or an oversized committee of executives. (I’m looking at you, Disney.) It’s this bold, destructive personality that Didi touching and sweet without being intrusive.

The film is hilarious without being predictable and heartbreaking without being sentimental. Some of the most touching moments feature only a computer screen as the 13-year-old boy types in his feelings and his internet questions. No other film in recent memory captures the everyday importance of the internet and social media (and the connections they promise) for young children better than this one.

This movie made me so happy and reminded me how important it is to have a family and to find your people. The dialogue is simple, so it doesn’t try too hard to make the themes of friendship, belonging, loneliness and shame perfectly relatable. Many of us have memories of being left out of parties or being mocked for our appearance, and Didi touches on the nerve of teenage shame/contempt with startling, contemporary and direct clarity.

Izaac Wang (Raya and the Last Dragon2021) role of the teenage boy’s hormone-driven awkwardness and angry exuberance is both endearing and shocking (much like boys his age in real life). One moment you want to give him a big hug and the next moment you want to yell at him for being so awful. The teen’s mother is played with quiet frustration by established Chinese actress Joan Chen (Desire, cautionHer performance, with her tired eyes, soft voice and isolated determination, is Oscar-worthy. The world could be more peaceful with mothers like her.

This film won the Audience Award and the Special Jury Prize at Sundance this year, and I can’t wait to see what other awards it wins next year. Please put this one on your list. You’ll finish it with a smile.