Filmmaker Sean Wang is having a whirlwind start to 2024. In January, his semi-autobiographical debut feature “Dìdi (弟弟)” premiered to significant acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival and landed a theatrical release from Focus Features. Just days later, he got an Academy Award nomination for his documentary short film, “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.” He has been so busy that he did a Zoom interview while waiting to go on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
But, as Wang, 29, told me from the talk show’s green room last week, he’s happy to cede the spotlight to the stars of the short: his grandmothers, who he jokes, with their newfound fame, are now “too big for us. They won’t return my phone calls.”
Now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó” is a loving slice-of-life tribute to their unique bond. The two live together near Wang’s parents in the Bay Area, and as seen in the film, Wài Pó, the younger of the two women, refers to Nǎi Nai as her “big sister.”
There are uproarious scenes of Wài Pó ribbing Nǎi Nai for farting in her sleep and cleaning up after her because she tends to leave her shoes around. We see the two enjoy their various hobbies, like reading the newspaper, singing and playing the piano, dancing, gardening, and an utterly delightful scene of them watching “Superbad.” At the same time, the film is deeply poignant, featuring Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó’s reflections about being at the end of their lives and having experienced the deaths of many of their loved ones.
Wang traces his grandmothers’ treasured partnership to a series of rom-com-esque “meet-cutes.” At first, they met through the marriage of Wang’s parents and became in-laws. From the start, it was clear they “enjoyed each other’s company, which I think is kind of a rarity in and of itself,” Wang said. He grew up with Nǎi Nai, his paternal grandmother, who moved to the Bay Area to be closer to his family and helped raise him when he was a…
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