It’s 2008 in Fremont, California, and thirteen-year-old Chris Wang (Wang) is confronting the prospect of high school with barely concealed terror. He’s at an awkward juncture, to put it mildly, with the bad skin and bad mood to prove it. Still getting into boyish mischief with his guy pals (Dial and Chang), he has a huge crush on classmate Madi (Park), but hardly knows how to act on it. At home he berates his single mom Chungsing (Joan Chen) and older sister Vivian (Shirley Chen). How fast will “Didi” (“little brother” in Mandarin) adjust and regain his footing in life?

Director Wang’s intimate coming-of-age tale is largely autobiographical, evoking the agonizing predicament of being thirteen and clueless. Didi (also known as “Wang Wang” at school) acts out with those he loves most, but underneath the angst we glimpse a frightened kid with talent and heart. Izaac Wang nails a demanding title role, and the talented young cast shines alongside him. Far from her past glamorous roles, a superb Joan Chen portrays a loving mother bewildered by this sudden hostility from her beloved son. Mercifully, in this film as in life, being thirteen is a phase that passes, leading to a clearer way forward. Find your way to the endearing “Didi.”