so real, so unique——a review of the documentary "the whisperer" about women's script
2024-09-08
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xinhua news agency, beijing, september 6th. on september 6th, xinhua daily telegraph published a report titled "so real, so unique - a review of the nüshu-themed documentary "the whisperers"."
rice fields, village lanes, houses, salons, guqin, high-rise buildings, the screen presents different lives in the countryside and the city. the different life situations of the two women are recorded truthfully, and nvshu is used as a "secret language" to connect them, allowing them to talk to each other and communicate with each other. recently, the documentary "the secret whisperer" based on nvshu was released nationwide. the film tells the story of two contemporary chinese women who are closely related to nvshu. when faced with life confusion and choices, they strive to seek self-breakthrough, self-healing, and pursue independent growth.
nüshu is the only female script in the world. there are many different opinions in the academic community about when it originated and who created it. as a national intangible cultural heritage, nüshu has been shrouded in mystery for more than half a century and has been active in the public eye. in recent years, academic research, handmade cultural creation, film and television works, musicals, etc. around nüshu have continued to emerge, and the cultural connotations and spiritual codes behind nüshu are being interpreted. unlike traditional humanities and historical documentary films, "the whisperer" does not spend a lot of time tracing the history and evolution of nüshu, but focuses on the life situations of hu xin and simu, delicately depicting the mentality and situation of women, and facing life's problems.
hu xin was the youngest inheritor of nüshu. her experience in the film took place in jiangyong county, yongzhou city, hunan province, the birthplace of nüshu, a frontier county in southern hunan with rich resources, winding rivers and mountains. zhao liming, an expert on nüshu and a professor at tsinghua university, said that the relatively prosperous oasis at the junction of three provinces has created and nurtured nüshu, a cultural wonder. before 1949, most rural women in jiangyong, especially several well-known nüshu inheritors, experienced family misfortunes and hardships in life. they used the creation and exchange of nüshu to express and vent their inner pain and gain spiritual resonance and comfort.
as a woman who grew up in the rural area of jiangyong county, hu xin faces the traditional concepts of the local society and bears gender pressure. from the earliest "my family gave birth to four daughters, others look down on our family" to later because "the other party wants a boy", the marriage also lit up the "red light". hu xin's life was once in confusion, similar to the experience of the inheritors of nüshu in the old society. simu, who grew up in the city, learned art since childhood, played the piano, practiced the guqin, etc. in 2013, she first came into contact with nüshu, which "brought her a very enjoyable experience". in love, simu thought she had met someone who understood romance and herself, but in the process of getting along, she encountered the dilemma of love, marriage and personal spiritual pursuit.
the famous linguist zhou youguang once said that nüshu is a wild rose in the mountains of chinese culture and the first step for women to liberate themselves. feng du, the director of the whisperer, believes that these women had no platform to express themselves at the time, but instead of complaining and giving up, they chose a wise path and used the words they created to build a private space unique to women, share their sufferings, and give each other strength. the experiences of the two women in the film are connected through nüshu. although they are from different regions and different time and space, they reflect each other.
the filming started in 2017 and took more than three years, witnessing the calmness, determination, enthusiasm and perseverance of two ordinary women. hu xin's marriage ended soon. facing the traditional barriers, she faced it with a calm attitude and found the meaning of "strength". "as the inheritor of nüshu, i hope that through my efforts, more people can understand and know nüshu. when i become strong, nüshu will be reborn." from love to marriage, it took simu just a few months to understand, "marriage should be cautious. he has arranged everything for my life. i can't let him arrange everything for me, including what to do and when."
hu xin (right) and he yanxin. still from the whispererthe dialogues in the documentary give nüshu a weight and power that transcends time and space. light and shadow shine into the simple old house, and the story of he yanxin, the 80-year-old inheritor of nüshu, is so real and touching. although they are nearly half a century apart in age, hu xin and he yanxin have long become friends, relatives, and confidants. hu xin asked he yanxin: "do you think you have suffered in your life?" "you have suffered all your life, but you still look very strong." he yanxin reminded hu xin that he should love himself as much as he loves nüshu. he yanxin had a hard life before, but she gained peace and tranquility in her later years. in hu xin's eyes, he yanxin is a wise old man. "although she has lived in the countryside all her life, her eyes are bright and there is light in her eyes. it is nüshu that gives her sustenance."
as for the experience of the inheritors of nüshu who "held back their tears and sorrow" before 1949, simu drew a warning and reflection from it. after reading the sentence of nüshu in the past, "no qualifications for being an official, no women in schools", simu wrote a reply letter across time and space in nüshu, "reading nüshu carefully, i can feel the true feelings. as women, i can understand each other. the ancestors of nüshu suffered a lot. now women have a new look. they can decide whether to marry or not. they are self-reliant and free." she explained that i want to tell them that we women have undergone earth-shaking changes. at the same time, i am reminding myself that i must be spiritually independent and never lose myself. "nüshu is a mark of women's history. it is like a warning light. life was so hard in the past. we can't go down the old path anymore. we must move forward."
the narrative of the whisperer is calm, introverted, and unobtrusive. the story is told in a restrained and implicit way, with a gentle power. the protagonist, the place where the story takes place, and the story itself are the situations around us and even ourselves. in this way, the audience can empathize with the real society, thus building a platform for communication and better seeing and understanding each other.
intangible cultural heritage allows movies and tv to reflect reality, and movies and tv allow intangible cultural heritage to be passed on. the elements of nüshu run through the entire film, allowing the audience to have a more mature understanding of the female group and life experiences in a gentle and subtle way. director feng du said that nüshu, as a unique cultural phenomenon, not only carries the historical memory and cultural traditions of women, but also conveys the emotions and wisdom between women.
the film's camera language also tells the "universality and equality" of nüshu. in the final scene, ordinary women in life appear one by one, including the elderly, children, and young people. the faces of women of different ages and identities reflect the daily lives of thousands of ordinary people. they are mothers, wives, and daughters. they live seriously, draw strength and wisdom from life, bravely face challenges and difficulties, and realize their self-worth.
everyone has a unique and real life.
