“The Right Moment” is a very competent short that manages to eloquently present a series of social and political comments.

Fang Chen, from the Chaoshan region in Guangdong, China, holds a Master’s degree in Film Making from the China Film Art Research Center. She is dedicated to creating genre films with a personal touch, navigating the space between commercial and artistic cinema while continuously exploring and uncovering unique perspectives in female narratives. In 2022, her feature film script “Ms. Wang Cailing” was selected for the 13th “Supporting Outstanding Youth Film and Drama Program”. Her short film “The Right Moment” was officially selected by the 29nd Beijing University Student Film Festival, and the Macau International Film Festival, among others. Additionally, several of her short films have been showcased at various film festivals.

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The film begins with a letter circulating in a classroom while the teacher is talking, with the last girl giving it to a male student who doesn’t seem to want to get involved, making her rather anxious. It turns out it is a joint petition asking for signature from students in order to complain about a teacher, and everyone in the class have signed it. Two girls, obviously good friends, seem to be the ones that started the whole thing and are quite happy about the outcome, although they are worried they will be discovered, as the whole thing seems to be anonymous.

The girls then split up, with one, Sheng Lan, obviously lying about the place she lives in, mentioning a high-rise place, although she lives in a rundown house across the aforementioned area. Furthermore, it seem her mother does not want her to get involved with anything political. Eventually, however, the letter is discovered, forcing the two girls to choose between protecting or betraying each other. A flashback showing the two, Sheng Lan and Tang Yanyan, reading the letter, reveals what it was all about.

Fang Chen directs a 15-minute short that unfolds in two narrative axes. The first one one is sociopolitical, with the director commenting on the fact that, in the current era in China, reporting on each other has become a routine, thus highlighting a setting that can easily be described as suffocating. The second moves into coming-of-age territory, with the decision Sheng Lan makes essentially forcing her to mature and realize the concept of taking responsibility in life. On a lesser extent, the discrepancies that are found in students due to their parents’ financial situation, even for those attending the same schools, is also commented upon.

This last aspect is also well embedded in the cinematography, with DP Xiaojie Huang highlighting the difference of the two settings, the rich and the poor, in the most intricate fashion, in frames that include how one looks when witnessed from the other. Fang Chen’s own editing also works well, with a relative fast pace that allows the story to unfold nicely, without rushing.

Lin Jingtong and Huang Siyan give realistic performances as Sheng Lan and Yanyan, with the former having the meatier role, and being quite good in highlighting her discomfort about what is happening.

“The Right Moment” is a very competent short that manages to eloquently present a series of social and political comments.

“Dìdi,” the semi-autobiographical debut from director, writer and producer Sean Wang, delivers just that. It follows 13-year-old Chris Wang, or “Wang Wang,” as his friends call him, during the summer between middle and high school. His family, who affectionately call him Dìdi, Mandarin for “little brother,” are Taiwanese Americans living in Fremont, California, in 2008 — something viewers could likely pick up on even quickly with the use of flip phones, instant messaging and Myspace throughout.

At the core of this story of a young boy wanting to fit in, navigating his first crush and feeling the ebbs and flows of young friendships is his mother, the only person who sees him for who he is. As many 13-year-old boys feel at times, Chris just finds his mom, beautifully played by Joan Chen, to be unbearably irritating and embarrassing.

Throughout the well-paced story, Chris grapples with wanting to push away those closest to him, saying cruel things that can’t be unsaid, and simultaneously wanting their approval and love more than ever before.

In a wistful moment, after Chris and his mom, Chungsing, have cooled down from a big fight, Chris asks her if she’s ashamed of him. Through a poignant monologue, Chungsing tells him she could never be ashamed of him and that he is her dream. It’s a sweet moment and a sweet thought, but it also hits on a pressure many children of immigrants feel: to live up to their parents’ wildest dreams.

Izaac Wang, a revelation as Chris, seamlessly portrays those feelings of pressure and fear of disappointing family. His performance makes you appreciate that fraught time on the cusp of high school for what it taught you, but it also makes you appreciate that it’s over.

For all the emotional punches he packs as we follow Chris’ journey, Wang is also effortlessly hilarious in the film’s lighter moments.

From searching “how to kiss” on YouTube to fretting over how to respond to his crush’s IMs with his buddies, Wang pulls you in right away and doesn’t let go.

“Dìdi” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the audience award and a special jury award for its ensemble. It was one of the festival’s biggest discoveries and it was praised at the time for how it fostered nostalgia for the aughts — although many millennial viewers were shaken by the idea of a film set in 2008 being a period piece.

Creating something that feels nostalgic or captures a moment in time is no easy task, but the film pulls it off, largely thanks to the stellar performances. Several of the teen characters are played by first-time actors, which creates a palpable authenticity. The young actors also, refreshingly, don’t look far off from 13 in a departure from many films with teen characters that cast older actors.

That realness is already there, given that Wang infused much of his childhood into the story and filmed on location in his hometown. He also cast his own 86-year-old grandmother as the endearing Nai Nai, who delivers comedic relief as if she was a veteran actor.

In a memorable scene, and a glimpse at Chris’ soft spot for his grandmother, he films her to feed his hobby of creating YouTube videos. As he gets closer to her face with the camera, she says she’s ugly and he responds that she is beautiful, and they exchange “I love yous.” It’s a quick yet moving reminder that under the layers of angst and the uncertainty that comes with times of transition, Chris is just a kid who loves his family and wants to do right by them. And then the moment is over.

“Dìdi’s” greatest strength lies in the balance it strikes between moments of levity and gravity, often prompting waves of laughter seconds after evoking tears.

Several shots throughout the film show Chungsing affectionately staring at her son, waiting for him to acknowledge her to no avail. Once Chris has experienced more of the messiness that is being 13, he doesn’t just look back at her. He finally sees her.

“Dìdi” simply makes you wish you could turn back time and hug your mom.

“Dìdi,” a Focus Features release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “language throughout, sexual material, and drug and alcohol use — all involving teens.” Running time: 93 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

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Readers may remember the July 4, 2023 release, “The Sound of Freedom,” which aimed to expose the human trafficking crisis. 

Exactly one year later on this past July 4, Angel Studios released “The Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” The film addresses the needs of children in the foster care system. Although the storyline of the two films is unrelated, they share a powerful message of mercy.  

At one point in “Sound of Hope,” protagonist Donna Martin holds her foster daughter close and says, “You are a gift and you were only ever meant to be loved.” When life gets rocky (as it certainly does for the many families in the film!), we are all called to place our hope in the one unchanging constant – the unconditional love of God.

“The Sound of Hope” tells the compelling true story of Reverend W.C. and Donna Martin as they pave the way for their rural parish in East Texas to take in 77 children from the foster care system. Ultimately, their witness and example empties the system of every child needing placement within the surrounding 100 miles. 

The film has to teeter a delicate balance between depicting the grittiness of the victims’ struggles without completely scandalizing the viewers. While the movie is overall successful at this, more sensitive viewers may still find certain scenes to be too intense. Other viewers, who may have had first-hand experiences similar to those in the film, may feel like the sufferings and challenges were not depicted strongly enough. 

Overall, “The Sound of Hope” is a well-done film that invites Christians to reflect on the human suffering around them and the need for faith to take action.

There are two layers of themes in the film. At face value, it tells the compelling story of children who “no one else wanted,” but who are welcomed with loving arms into a community of faith. The messiness of family life and the challenges of unconditional love are on full display. Those who have a heart for children in the foster care system will appreciate the attention that this film draws to the foster care needs in the US, which are rarely discussed and all too quickly forgotten. 

On the deeper, more universal level this story powerfully resounds with themes of mercy and the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The children in the foster care system are abandoned, neglected, and desperately in need of love. Just as there is nothing they can do to earn or deserve the love of a family, there is nothing we can do to earn the love of the Father. 

The church community in Possum Trot is a powerful analogy for the mercy of the Father who greets each one of us with open arms. In the film, when a foster child is brought into the church for the first time the whole community cheers and welcomes him saying, “The Lord heard you.” 

In one particularly moving scene, the young boy arrives at his foster family’s home for the first time. His sister waits in the car, hesitantly, but he runs straight to the father who scoops him up in a warm embrace. Although many of us cannot relate to the trauma of being without a home in the foster care system, we can all relate to the human need for belonging and the universal need for God’s fatherly love.