18. Cringe, Connection & Coming of Age: How Dìdi Made Me Feel Seen

A love letter from Vidur Bahl to Dìdi (2024)

Dear Dìdi, mon amour,

Some say that to be loved is to be seen.

I went into a movie theater on a random Thursday afternoon because I had nothing better to do that day. I chose to watch a screening of your film simply because it fit my schedule. Thank god for that.

I have never felt so acknowledged and accepted by a film. Your story of Wang-Wang—a Taiwanese-American eighth-grader in Fremont, California, stumbling through the mess of puberty—was specific yet universal. It’s a story about friendship, the unsaid love between siblings, the complications of a mother-son relationship, the uncertainty of self, and that indescribable feeling of having a crush for the first time. Even though I didn’t grow up in California (or even the United States), or share the same cultural background as Wang-Wang, I found so much of myself in him.

You captured the experience of growing up alongside the rise of the internet in a way that felt deeply familiar. Wang-Wang and I may not have gone through the same things, but the collective coming of age with the toddler years of the internet inspired the same insecurities, the same desperation to belong. I found myself smiling in recognition.

So much about Wang-Wang’s crush on Madi brought me back to those stupid 7th-grade crushes. The awkwardly typed-out IM jokes, the aching hope that the other person feels the same way—everything you captured was exactly how it felt. And when Wang-Wang panicked, shut her out, and fumbled everything? I cringed for him—but I also cringed for the younger me, who had done the exact same thing out of fear of rejection.

Wang-Wang’s coming-of-age isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about learning to accept who he already is. His bond with his mother, Chungsing, is at the heart of that journey. The tension between them—the unspoken expectations, the sharp words in moments of frustration, the love they don’t know how to express—was so deeply felt. By the end of the film, when Chungsing and Wang-Wang reached a fragile understanding, it felt like a resolution not just for them, but for all of us who have ever struggled to communicate with the people we love most.

Some say that to be loved is to be seen, and you, Dìdi, are what convinced me that it’s true. You felt like a warm hug, telling me that everything about my experience as a middle school boy that I thought was cringy was okay. In fact, it might just make for a great story.

With love,

Vidur

About Vidur

Hi! I’m Vidur. I’m a filmmaker and photographer based in NYC, originally from New Delhi (with a big soft spot for Bollywood movies). I’ve always believed in the power of visuals to tell stories that matter. Whether it’s through film, photography, or multimedia projects, I love combining my passion for current events and social justice with creative storytelling to make content that resonates and makes people pause, reflect, and feel something real.