Dongnan Chen on Crafting the Poetic Realism of the Liangshan Mountains in 'Whispers in May'

By BlockReel Editorial Team Directing, Documentary March 15, 2026

The rugged terrain of China's remote Liangshan region forms both a setting and a character in Dongnan Chen's hybrid documentary, Whispers in May, which premiered in competition at CPH:DOX. Chen, an Emmy-nominated director known for projects like 14 Paintings, Sound of Vision, and Singing in the Wilderness, employs the region's dramatic landscape not merely as a backdrop, but as a visual and thematic anchor for her "reluctant coming-of-age film." The director's approach challenges conventional documentary aesthetics, infusing a raw narrative with a deliberate visual poetry. Notably, the project was first presented as a Rough Cuts work-in-progress at CPH:DOX 2025 before returning for its completed premiere in competition.

The genesis of Whispers in May began not with a predetermined film concept, but with a written line: "I've made many wishes, but none have ever come true." This single sentence, penned by a teenage girl in Liangshan, drew Chen into the world of 14-year-old Qihuo and her friends. The film documents Qihuo's journey through a traditional Nuosu rite of passage, the "Changing skirt" ceremony, marking her transition toward womanhood. This journey, a road trip undertaken with two close friends to purchase a skirt for the ceremony, served as Chen's foundational framework for the narrative.

Building a Narrative on Spontaneity and Preparation

Filmed over approximately a month in spring 2022, Whispers in May eschewed a traditional script. Chen describes the production as a blend of spontaneity and meticulous preparation, noting, "It's a very simple but, to me, very powerful concept: we're doing a road trip with the girls." This method speaks to the challenges of capturing authentic moments within a narrative structure, especially when working with non-professional subjects in a hybrid format. It's a workflow that requires a crew to be agile, responsive to unfolding events, and attuned to the subtle shifts in energy that define a documentary's emotional core.

Chen's decision to follow the girls' journey allowed the narrative to be shaped by their experiences, an organic approach that captures the essence of their transitional phase. The crew had to be ready to document unplanned interactions and emotional beats while maintaining a cohesive visual language. This often means running multiple cameras, anticipating actions, and ensuring sound capture is clean enough to layer in post-production, a task made even more complex in open, natural environments.

Landscape as Emotional Resonance

The visual composition of Whispers in May emphasizes the connection between the girls' inner world and the mountainous landscape they traverse. Chen intentionally crafted "poetic and carefully composed images" to reflect the fragile juncture between childhood and adulthood. The mountains, in her vision, embody an "untamed energy" that mirrors the girls' own, offering a temporary sanctuary from societal norms and expectations.

However, Chen is careful to clarify that the landscape's role extends beyond mere beauty. "It's also not just about beauty. Those mountains also carry weight," she states. This weight is multifaceted:

- Protection and Isolation: The mountains protect the girls' innocence but also isolate them from the outside world.

Tradition and Norms: They symbolize the deeply ingrained customs and traditions of the local community, which, for girls like Qihuo, can present "a very difficult path for them to walk into the outside world."

Socio-economic Realities: The region's context, where many parents migrate for work, leaving children with extended family or at school, underscores the pressure of long-standing traditions, including the possibility of arranged marriages, practices that, while illegal in China, still exert influence. Chen explains, "That ceremony basically means this girl is no longer part of her birth family. And even though it's illegal in China, it means they can be married by their parents, who would then get a big sum of dowry money."

Chen's use of landscape to externalize internal conflict recalls the approach of directors like Terrence Malick in Days of Heaven, where the natural world becomes inseparable from the characters' emotional states, a technique central to building a visual rulebook from a script's emotional spine. The mountains become a silent observer, their imposing presence reflecting the girls' burgeoning anxieties and dreams.

Resisting Reductive Portrayals Through Aesthetics

Chen made a conscious aesthetic choice to move away from the "rough images" often associated with earlier waves of Chinese independent documentary cinema. She views beauty as a crucial element, not just for visual appeal, but as a "political stance" and a "way to resist" reductive portrayals of marginalized communities.

"I always think beauty is simple, but super important," Chen explains. Her intention is to elevate her subjects, to "make them grand and to give people grace," rather than labeling a place as impoverished through crude visuals. This deliberate use of aesthetic quality speaks to a broader conversation in documentary filmmaking about ethical representation, a challenge explored in films like The Last Puestero, and the filmmaker's responsibility to their subjects. It's about dignifying the experience, ensuring that the visual language doesn't inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes. The balance between capturing authentic realities and presenting them with a considered artistic vision is a constant negotiation for documentary filmmakers.

Universal Themes in Specific Locales

While deeply rooted in the specific cultural context of the Liangshan region, Whispers in May aims for universal resonance. Chen identifies the film's core intention as "meeting this girl at this very special moment between girlhood and womanhood. It's a very universal experience, the vanishing of childhood." This approach allows the film to transcend its geographic and cultural specificity, inviting audiences worldwide to connect with Qihuo's transition.

The power of focused, deeply observed storytelling in a particular cultural context often reveals widely relatable human experiences. This aligns with the understanding that authentic individual stories, told with precision and empathy, have the capacity to illuminate broader human truths.

The Intimacy Between Observer and Observed

Production on Whispers in May contributed to Chen's ongoing reflection on the intricate relationship between filmmaker and subject. This critical introspection is a hallmark of ethical documentary practice, particularly in hybrid formats where the lines between observation and construction can blur. The inherent power dynamic between the camera and the individual being filmed demands careful consideration, especially when working with vulnerable subjects like teenagers undergoing significant life changes. Ensuring respect, consent, and clear boundaries are paramount, requiring thoughtful consent workflows and scene integrity protocols, a practice that defines responsible filmmaking.

Chen is now in early development on a new hybrid film project that explicitly examines this "complex intimacy between observer and observed," mixing reality and fiction. This indicates a continued exploration of how filmmakers can navigate and represent the delicate relationship with their subjects, a constant challenge for anyone engaging with real-world narratives.

Whispers in May was produced by Jia Zhao and Kay Xu through Muyi Film and Tail Bite Tail Films. The project received support from institutions including the IDFA Bertha Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Swedish Film Institute, and Field of Vision. Its world premiere at CPH:DOX positions it within a festival known for showcasing innovative and socially incisive documentary work, a fitting platform for a film that blends poetic imagery with profound cultural exploration. The film's nuanced portrayal of a specific place and a universal moment in life underscores the enduring power of documentary to connect audiences to experiences far removed from their own, using the medium's capacity for both deeply personal narrative and broader social commentary.

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Originally published on BlockReel DAO.