Whispers in May

[SOFT, ETHEREAL MUSIC BEGINS]  

The “In Competition CPH: DOX DOX: AWARD 2026 laurels appear over a black background.  

A child with long hair, wearing a yellow shirt, jogs down a street surrounded by green trees. 

SPEAKER #1 (in subtitled Nuosu voiceover): Qihuo. Why didn’t you answer my calls? Where are you?  

Cut to black.  

QIHUO (in subtitled Nuosu voiceover): I...  

The title Whispers in May appears in English, Chinese and Nuoso  in bright blue letters on a black screen.  

“A Film by Dongnan Chen” appears in blue letters on a black screen.  

Shaky footage of a mountain.  

An eye in a small handheld mirror.  

Shaky footage of greenery in a forest.  

An ant carrying a leaf scurries across the floor.  

A black beetle with white spots walks on the floor.  

A hand skims the tops of tall grass.  

A rocky surface.  

Green land reflected in what appears to be a small handheld mirror held by a blurry hand.  

A line illustration of an eye with an intricate pattern in the pupil in the same bright blue as the title appears over the blurred hand and mirror.  

A child leans in and cups a hand over the ear of another child as they whisper something.  

A different child leans in and cups a hand over the ears of another child with a black eye and whispers something.  

SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Nuosu): Qihuo got her period.  

The child with a black eye turns and laughs softly.  

SPEAKER #4 (in subtitled Nuoso): Crazy.  

Three children sit in a space surrounded by colorful, striped plastic tarp. Qihuo, sitting in the middle, is having her hair braided by one person sitting behind them and combed by the person sitting in front of them.  

SPEAKER #4 (in subtitled Nuoso): Why didn’t you tell your mom?  

Back view of a person speaking into a megaphone. They are speaking to a crowd of children standing in neat lines, each headed by an adult.  

SPEAKER #6 (in subtitled Nuoso): Your shoes are so dirty, and your necks too.  

Qihuo stands in a crowd of other children.  

SPEAKER #6 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): Even though your parents are away, keep yourselves clean.  

CHILDREN: Okay.  

A spotlight in a dark room illuminates a fading family photo hanging on a wall.  

SPEAKER #7 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): Boys can marry and have kids at thirteen.  

A hand plugs a winged insect out of a spiderweb in a dark room.  

SPEAKER #7 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): You're already fourteen.  

Close-up on Qihuo’s face, illuminated by a blue light, in a dark room.  

SPEAKER #7 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): My duties are over! I’m done.  

Wider view of Qihuo standing in a dilapidated, dark room with tarps on the ceiling and little furniture except for a brightly lit entertainment console which flashes blue and red.  

[MUSIC FADES]  

[CHIMES]  

Two arms create shadows on a wall. The person puts their wrists together to create a curved shape.  

[CHIMES STOP]  

[MUSIC BEGINS AGAIN]  

A person counts bills while another person illuminates the bills with a flashlight.  

In a dark room, a flashlight illuminates Qihuo’s face.  

SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): Let’s run away.  

Qihuo smiles and giggles.  

[LAUGHING]  

Speaker #3 puts a finger up to their mouth in a shushing motion.  

Two children, one with a backpack and the other with a large crossbody, laugh and run down a wide street with a car driving away from them.  

SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Nuoso): Tricycle! Wait!  

On a dusty road, a tricycle motorcycle driven by a person in a striped shirt, drives while carrying a few children in the back compartment.  

[CHILDREN LAUGHING]  

Four children of varying ages walk along a wide mountain road.  

[CHIMES]  

Two children sit beside each other outside, one with hands covering their face and the other leaning on the other child’s shoulder and resting.  

A pile of wood and unidentifiable material burns outside, with a small flame and lots of smoke.  

SPEAKER #4 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): Do you want to grow up?  

Four children walk along a thin mountain pass, surrounded by rolling green and red mountains.  

QIHUO (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): I don’t know.  

Back view of three children standing outside, embracing each other.  

Cut to black.  

SPEAKER #3 (in subtitled Nuoso voiceover): Qihuo.  

Qihuo and a friend look into a mirror. Qihuo is wearing red lipstick and an elaborate headdress with a metal panel on the front that has dangling metal pieces.  

Qihuo, still wearing the headdress, spins and smiles. There are mannequins wearing similar headdresses and elaborate outfits in the background.  

Two children run through greenery.  

Line illustrations in light blue of trees and curving lines appear over the two children.  

[MUSIC FADES]  

[BELLS JINGLING]  

Credits appear on a black screen. The text reads: Presented by Tail Bite Tail Films & Muyi Film. In Coproduction with HER Film & Seesaw Pictures. Directed by Dongnan Chen | Produced by Jia Zhao & Kay Xu | Co-producers Malin Huber & Heejun Oh | Honorary Producer Jenny Jin | Director of Photography Ming Xue | Cinematography Ming Xue & Xiao Xiao | Editing Sisi Chen & Tao Gu | Composer Chad Cannon | Illustration & Animation Chenxi Zhang & Lopvup-Ma-Axmuyiggu | Grading Albin Abrahamsson – Tint | Trailer Grading Xiao Xiao | Sound Recording Kelan Li | Sound Design Mark Glynne & Olmo Van Straalen – Anthill. 

Below this are two rows of production company and film festival logos.