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Whispers in May

Play trailer Poster for Whispers in May 2026 1h 35m Documentary Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Qihuo has a secret: she's just had her first menstruation. This marks the arrival of the 'Changing Skirt' ceremony, a traditional coming-of-age ritual, which signifies she is no longer a child, but a woman bound to the communal demands of marriage and labor. With her parents away as migrant workers and grandfather recently passed, Qihuo and her two best friends set out on a road trip to buy a skirt for her rite of passage. Blending raw documentary with an improvised fictional voyage, the film crafts a world inhabited by the girls that exists beyond social norms. Here, as the days go by and landscapes shift, the trio traverse the rugged mountains, chase shadows, and cherish fleeting moments. A time capsule, Whispers in May clings to the last moments of childhood, just before reality takes hold.

Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Screen International Sep 23, 2026
A twinkling, shimmering backdrop of chimes that sounds as though it was played on icicles, complements the mystical qualities of the journey, and the sense of wonder that the girls bring to their voyage into the unknown world... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Dongnan Chen

Director

Jjippupmop Qihuo

Self

Mathxiemop Atnyop

Self

Lhithxamop Itgop

Self

Lhithxamop Itsi

Self

Jia Zhao

Producer
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Whispers in May

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Movie Info

Synopsis Qihuo has a secret: she's just had her first menstruation. This marks the arrival of the 'Changing Skirt' ceremony, a traditional coming-of-age ritual, which signifies she is no longer a child, but a woman bound to the communal demands of marriage and labor. With her parents away as migrant workers and grandfather recently passed, Qihuo and her two best friends set out on a road trip to buy a skirt for her rite of passage. Blending raw documentary with an improvised fictional voyage, the film crafts a world inhabited by the girls that exists beyond social norms. Here, as the days go by and landscapes shift, the trio traverse the rugged mountains, chase shadows, and cherish fleeting moments. A time capsule, Whispers in May clings to the last moments of childhood, just before reality takes hold.
Director
Dongnan Chen
Producer
Jia Zhao, Kay Xu
Production Co
Tail Bite Tail Films, Muyi Film
Genre
Documentary, Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Runtime
1h 35m
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