A tender love story set in rural China, Li Ruijun’s Return To Dust is a wonderfully atmospheric entry to the Berlin Film Festival competition. It opens with the arrangement of a marriage between Ma Youtie (Wu Renlin) and Cao Guiying (Hai Qing), by two families who are patently keen to get rid of them both.
Cao is a quiet, unassuming man whose simple rural life is in contrast with that of his flashier relatives, who drive expensive cars and spend time in the city. Ma is a timid woman who is considered a burden on her family, partly because she is unable to control her bladder and is unable to have children.
She has been mistreated and abused, at one point revealing that she was treated worse than the donkey Cao is tending to when they first meet. Ma rarely speaks, silently joining Cao in his humble home. On their first night, she falls asleep fully clothed, leaning awkwardly on the bed he is in. It’s an inauspicious start to their enforced relationship, but when she begins to work on the land, the seed of a loving bond is planted.
There is great beauty in this story’s simplicity. Wang Weihua’s cinematography welcomes us into this couple’s home and their lives, observing their daily routines and their gradual connection. They are at their happiest when surrounded by nature, with the sound of birds and water, in contrast to watching TV in their cramped neighbors’ home.
Like the audience, Cao comes to understand and sympathize with Ma’s embarrassing condition, one that is rarely portrayed on screen. Most other people react cruelly when she wets herself, shooing her out of their homes. Meanwhile, Cao is exploited by his relatives and other locals who are keen to develop his land.
These are two outcasts who have been pushed together to serve the interests of others, yet their goodness overcomes the negative circumstances. They are perhaps the only characters with any principles in this story, and their connection to the earth and nature is portrayed with great respect.
Return To Dust isn’t always an easy watch, but it’s a thought-provoking one with beautifully-judged performances that radiate warmth and encourage empathy. It marks Li Ruijun as a significant cinematic talent.