“Didi” can teach you how to write a growth script

Growing up amid the technological boom of the internet, social media and flip phones is a different experience than what our parents or descendants experienced. But as a teenager, we have to deal with the social politics of being online, and that sucks too. This is the core of director Wang Sean’s debut feature film. freezing.

Flirting with the person you like, navigating relationships with friends and family, and trying to discover who you are are at the heart of some great coming-of-age movies. Adding early social media – I mean early– and the culture of the Bay Area, you have freezing.

But coming-of-age movies are not just about the atmosphere of growing up; freezing Focuses on how to make one of the most famous coming-of-age films while adhering to the tropes of the genre while adding new content.

How to Write a Coming-of-Age Movie

Most coming-of-age movies feature protagonists going through a transitional period in their lives. This storytelling genre is very popular because it touches on many of life’s “firsts”: romance, breakups, graduating from school or leaving home.

Like most youth movies, freezing There are three characteristics involved that define the type:

1. Character growth: These films follow characters who try to live up to and achieve idyllic characteristics. With these more mature goals in mind, viewers can watch the characters’ spiritual, emotional, and personal growth from innocent children to perceptive young adults.
2. Dialogue: Unlike the action or horror genres, there aren’t many great moments in coming-of-age movies. These films often focus on the inner lives of their protagonists and how they view the world around them. This means there is a lot of dialogue or silence to convey how the characters are feeling throughout the narrative.
3. Say something: Every movie should have a thesis statement that ties the plot points together, but coming-of-age films always put the thesis at the forefront, making it clear to the audience and the protagonist what the lesson is to be learned through the narrative.

The beauty of the coming-of-age genre is that it’s open to new and exciting ways to explore our complicated feelings about the past. Excerpted from “Geriatric Fragments” by Greta Gerwig lady bird A Surrealist Perspective on Media and Youth in Jane Schoenbrun’s Works I saw the TV glowcoming-of-age movies are limitless in their ability to succumb to other genres and visualize what many young people felt as children, but without the tools to explain it to themselves or others.

Read more: The 15 most important elements of a story

“Didi” (2024)

Coming-of-age movies are both personal and relatable

Looking back feels a lot like looking back at early photos on Facebook: extremely memorable, but also slightly cringe-worthy. But audiences love this feeling, which is why they watch this type of movie over and over again.

freezing The late ’00s are lovingly recreated, showing the fraught implications of AIM chat, Myspace top friends, and the mischievous early days of YouTube. It all goes to show that nostalgia runs deep when Wang captures the pain of growing up as a teenager. This semi-autobiographical story follows 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy Chris (Isaac Wague) as he steps out of his comfort zone to film skateboarding videos and flirt with his crush Madi (Mahaela Parker) story.

This semi-autobiographical story about teenage and teenage friendships is told with open honesty, inspired by films such as stand beside me. “I’ve always loved movies about adolescence,” Wang told The Guardian. “Quote at the end stand beside me You never have friends like the ones you made when you were 12 years old – I do think the friendships made during that time were so strong and genuine.

In writing the film, Wang tried to unpack the feelings that plagued him in his 20s: “Being an outsider among outsiders in a place where everyone has a similar culture to you but you still don’t feel it, it’s a What does it feel like?

For most people, the feeling is too relatable – a signature feeling of the genre.

Through Chris, viewers relive that awkward moment in life when insecurity eats away at you and you have the courage to step out and try new things while doing your best not to embarrass yourself. But for Chris, it came through his relationship with race.

Whether it’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or something else, the genre offers writers like you the opportunity to explore ideas that were central to your evolution as a person, and in some ways still are. Returning to these stories can be difficult, but it’s cathartic to be recognized for characters who are going through some of the toughest transitions in their lives, and for audiences who want to see that transformation on screen.

Read more: How to tackle a passion project and a personal script: Advice from a BAFTA-nominated producer

“Didi” (2024)

Looking for something new to add to the genre

Wang noticed that when watching adult films such as this, there was an aspect that was missing 400 hits, this is englandand rat catcher He had “never seen a movie starring anyone who looked like me or my friends.” It felt like an opportunity to contribute something new to a genre that I really love.

Throughout the film, Chris is surrounded by other people of color who fit into the toxic white bro culture common to that age group, forcing Chris to step out of his comfort zone before he’s ready. Their slow estrangement further alienates Chris. Madi, who may have questions about her identity, indirectly complimented Chris when she said he was “pretty cute for an Asian boy.”

Many of these jabs would lead to Chris telling people he was only half-Asian, or accusing his mom of being too Asian. Chris wants to be himself in a world that expects him to be someone else. When he does turn into the hyper-masculine cool kid he thinks people want him to be, he seems cruel and isolates himself further.

Chris’s loneliness and defiance are defining characteristics in coming-of-age films, but freezing When Chris is himself, he shines. From absurd animations of him talking to dead fish, to reanimated squirrels, to fever dreams of haunting figurines on a mini golf course, these whimsical moments highlight that Chris is still a little kid full of dreams. He just doesn’t know what to do with these dreams yet.

The Growing Up type emphasizes that we all have very similar feelings while growing up, but this type often excludes some voices or ideas from the conversation. Finding what’s missing in the genre can be the spark that ignites a story, and can be incredibly valuable for viewers looking to find themselves in the movies.

“Didi” (2024)

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Coming-of-age movies can be a mean and nostalgic look at the past. While there is a lot of great stuff worth studying, freezing Alert the writers that they need to add something new to the genre. This doesn’t mean ignoring the tropes of the genre.

Instead, the screenwriter should focus on the challenges the protagonist is trying to overcome on his journey to maturity. The road will be difficult, but once the lessons are fully understood, it will be worth it.

Read more: Why the ‘Barbie’ movie is the perfect example of the hero’s journey