Didi was made for people who shiver with panic at the sound of AOL Instant Messenger's creaking door alert. Each time it played in Sean Wang's 2008-set coming-of-ager, it felt like a claw hook had launched out of the screen and dragged me back in front of my father's PC, seconds after realising my crush had just logged on and the indie band lyric I'd picked for my away message really wasn't as seductive and mysterious as I'd hoped it to be.
Wang's semi-autobiographical feature-length debut takes place at a time in digital history that's now old enough to feel like an artefact, and includes a major plot development revealed through the removal of one character from another character's top eight friends on Myspace. What a hellish time to be young and confused.
Chris Wang (Izaac Wang), called Wang Wang by his friends, has the average problems of a 13-year-old kid. He tries and fails to impress girls. He wages all-out warfare with his older sister, Vivian (Shirley Chen). And he's stuck in that resentful stage of development in which paternal disrespect has become a reflex.
Denne historien er fra August 02, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra August 02, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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No title until Reds become road warriors, warns Slot
Liverpool boss says team must match away form of rivals
United stuck in 'purgatory' and facing only one way out
When one prominent football figure caught a glimpse of the Manchester United dressing room recently, they immediately recognised a scene they had seen from rival clubs. That was a squad that \"doesn't know what next\" and feels like it's \"going nowhere\". It isn't intentional, of course, but is a feeling that starts to grip a group when there's no sense of clarity.
Fifa transfer rules 'contrary to EU law', Diarra case finds
Fifa will have to update key paragraphs of its transfer rules to ensure punishment of players for breaking contracts is less draconian, after a European Court of Justice ruling on the Lassana Diarra case.
Marital rape is not rape, argues Indian government
The Indian government has opposed calls to classify consensual sexual acts committed by a husband against his wife as \"rape\", saying that to do so could have an impact on conjugal relationships and disturb the institution of marriage.
Screaming statue tribute to doctor raped and killed in India causes controversy
A bust installed outside a state-run hospital in India where a resident doctor was raped and killed has sparked anger and shock as it depicts a woman screaming in agony, her head thrown back and eyes wide open.
Haitian gang shoots at least 70 people in town rampage
Gang members brandishing automatic rifles have stormed through a town in Haiti's main breadbasket region, killing at least 70 people and forcing another 3,000 to flee.
Beirut hit again by Israel as Iran vows not to back down
Israeli military claims strikes targeted new Hezbollah leaders
Police officers win appeal in athlete stop and search case
Two former Metropolitan Police officers have been handed their jobs back after winning an appeal against a ruling that they had lied about a stop and search incident involving British athlete Bianca Williams.
Royal Navy chief apologises for submarine service abuse
The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found \"misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours\" in the submarine service.
Women say gender equality in the workplace has stalled
Gender equality in the workplace has stalled as women report experiencing many of the same challenges as they did nearly 30 years ago, a new survey of high-flyers suggests.
