Director Shasha Li makes her directorial debut in the personal, nostalgia-rich documentary, Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly. The film is full of reminiscence about Li’s childhood home and the memories made there, especially those shared with her aging grandmother. Shasha’s meditative, deeply moving film acts as a video diary of her most precious images, a tangible piece of video art that can be experienced on the screen over and over again. This universal feeling of longing for the comfort of childhood is explored in great detail throughout the film’s brisk 68-minute runtime.

Having always considered herself to be a nomad, Shasha’s love of travel and exploration brought her from China to the US as a teenager, and while she loves the life experience she has gained throughout her journeys, she admits to growing distant from her roots both environmentally and culturally. There are similarities between her hometown and her current residence in Eugene, Oregon, with the forest air and proximity to nature being incredibly compatible. However, when the famous wildfires break out, Shasha is forced to flee. The memories of her hometown suddenly become overwhelming and Shasha feels called to revisit her past.

Home is where the heart is, and Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly acts as a love letter to Shasha’s hometown of Lijiang, a small village in the Himalayan foothills. Through her soft-spoken narration and vibrantly captured images, Shasha transports the viewer into the picturesque community of the Nakhi tribe with their lush surroundings. It is here, away from the bustling noises and stress of the city, that those like Shasha’s grandmother live in symbiosis with nature. This slow-living mentality is a reflection of the film’s meditative tone. Almost dreamlike, Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly pays homage to the cultural traditions of the Nakhi people’s faith and general way of life.

The film comes across as very intuitive, given how closely Shasha is to the material as the film’s main subject, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. Given that culmination, it’s not surprising that this project is an extension of herself. The personal narrative structure works so well because of the amount of access and intimacy that we are privy to. Despite coming from a deeply personal place, Shasha’s story is universal and the feelings of nostalgia are something we can all relate to in one way or another. As a directorial debut, Shasha Li’s Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly–is an official selection of DOC NYC 2023–and a simmering, aesthetically rich knockout.