Return to Dust

Written and directed by Li Ruijun filmed in Gaotai County in the Gansu province of China a rural impoverished farming area where the inhabitants still eke out a living by working the land as they did in ancient times.  The setting is a village where Youtie ( Renlin Wu) is meeting Guiying (Hai-Qing) in a gathering of relatives. They are two unmarried quiet, unassuming, middle-aged individuals whose respective families have arranged their marriage. What follows is a thought-provoking storyline that delves into the hardships these individuals face as they build their life together with nothing except for Youtie’s hardworking ingenuity. An evocative narrative on a society that appears to be left behind. When this film was released in China it became a hit and was quickly withdrawn by the authorities perhaps because it revealed too much. Ultimately, this film is a tender love story. A DON’T MISS FILM with an engrossing storyline, superb acting and cinematography.