FilmReview

Return to Dust

Reviewer: Dave Cunningham

Writer and Director: Ruijun Li

Return to Dust, written and directed by Ruijun Li is both a tribute to the dignity of agricultural workers in rural China and a brutally realistic depiction of the harsh realities of their lifestyle.

As they approach middle-age Ma Youtie (Renlin Wu) and Cao Guiying (Hai-Qing) are regarded as liabilities by their families. Ma Youtie’s sole possession is a donkey while Cao Guiying is lame and suffers from chronic incontinence. The solution is obvious- the pair are married off to each other and left to fend for themselves in the bleak rural environment of Gansu in China (which just happens to be the birthplace of the writer/ director).

China does not tolerate criticism which may account for Ruijun Li taking an apolitical approach, even so there is the impression the authorities have facilitated the decline of rural communities as residents move to an urban environment. Members of the committee which runs the village are more like gangsters than politicians, short-changing the farmers and avoiding their responsibility to cover the cost of medical and water supplies. In somewhat heavy-handed symbolism the village chief has a rare blood type matched only by Ma Youtie who is obliged, therefore, to make regular blood donations. Yep, those in charge behave like leeches.

The gangsters, with their flashy cars, are one of the few signs of modernity in the film. The atmosphere set by Ruijun Li is pre-industrial – when Ma Youtie and Cao Guiying set about building their house, they do so by cutting, moulding and drying bricks made of clay.

Return to Dust is not a heart-warming film. The community does not cope with the harsh conditions by pulling together and helping each other but becomes sullen and insular. When Cao Guiying has an accident, their response is not to offer help but rather to provide a commentary on the incident. Only Ma Youtie shows concern for anyone but himself, as he becomes aware of the significance of his blood donations, he takes the opportunity to remind the gangsters of their obligations to make payments to the authorities on behalf of the community.

The title of the film- Biblically we come from, and return to, dust- is reflected in the fatalistic attitude of the central characters. This is not just the back-breaking labour undertaken without complaint by Ma Youtie and Cao Guiying but also the injustice they endure stoically. Both have been treated appallingly by their families (one wonders if Cao Guiying’s poor health may be due to familial abuse) and are exploited by the authorities but do not hold a grudge. The film takes place at a time when China is attempting to tidy up rural areas by paying compensation to owners of derelict properties who agree to their demolition. So, in a spectacularly cruel plot development, the couple are allowed to build a house purely so it can be demolished.

Although writer/ director Ruijun Li does not hide the harsh realities of the rural lifestyle he is sympathetic to people who are rapidly finding themselves considered to be outdated and irrelevant. As part of an urban redevelopment programme the couple are offered new accommodation in a high-rise block which baffles and offends Ma Youtie who cannot understand how a farmer can cope without chickens and donkeys. He prepares for relocation as if for death; settling his affairs and paying off any debts down to eggs that were borrowed.

Audiences must take a patient and non-judgemental attitude to Return to Dust as otherwise the sedate pace and stoic approach of the characters becomes a bit much. Ma Youtie and Cao Guiying show the saintly forbearance of Job in coping with their setbacks. The former is even given to quoting homespun philosophy reminding us everything starts in the soil and it rewards us or that everyone has their own destination and wheat is no different.

The casting for the film is interesting. Hai-Qing is a professional actor with background in comedic roles whilst Renlin Wu is not an actor but a farmer and, er, the director’s uncle. The relationship between their characters is, therefore, realistically strained with the couple so emotionally brutalised as, initially, to hardly acknowledge each other. Cao Guiying later admits the attraction of Ma Youtie was that he treated his donkey better than she was treated by her family. While affection grows between the couple it never really gets beyond the childish stage of making flower shapes out of seeds. There is no indication the marriage is ever consummated or the relationship physical.

Return to Dust is not always easy to watch. The stoic attitude of the central characters ensures there is little drama and events unfold at a leisurely pace. Yet the dignified approach of the characters is gently moving making the film a tribute to a lifestyle which is going out of fashion and in danger of vanishing.

Return to Dust is released in UK and Irish Cinemas on 4 November.

The Reviews Hub Score:

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The Reviews Hub Film Team is under the editorship of Maryam Philpott.

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