Whispers in May
In the remote Liangshan Mountains in China, 14-year-old Qihuo sets out with her two best friends to find a skirt for her traditional coming-of-age ritual. What begins as a simple quest unfolds into a magical journey in which the young girls discover the world and themselves.
Fourteen-year-old Qihuo undergoes the traditional “Changing Skirt”- ceremony, marking her transition to adulthood, with all the expectations that come with it. While her parents work far away and her grandfather has recently passed away, she sets out with two of her best friends through the rugged mountains, far from the world of adults.
Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, Whispers in May paints an enchanting portrait of friendship, freedom, and growing up, in which the final moments of childhood give way to the adult world. The film won the top prize at CPH:DOX, one of the world’s most important film festivals.
