Dust to dust: a film of the triumph of human spirit over adversity
Chinese film director Li Ruijun returns to the familiar rural village theme in his latest feature "Return to Dust" – the only Chinese film in the Berlinale Competition of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival last month.
The film is the simple but lyrical story of two lonely, middle-aged villagers who find love in an arranged marriage.
Although the film has yet to be screened in Chinese cinemas, a small audience did get to watch it through a private viewing organized by Directube in Shanghai last weekend. Afterward, director Li shared some insights about the film with viewers online.
Amateur actor Wu Renlin and professional actress Hai Qing portray a village couple in the deeply humane film "Return to Dust."
Set in the director's somewhat bleak rural hometown area in the northwestern province of Gansu, "Return to Dust" opens with an arranged marriage between Ma Youtie and Cao Guiying by their two families, who are patently keen to get rid of them both.
Cao is considered a burden by her family. She suffers from incontinence and cannot bear children. Ma is a humble, honest man frequently exploited by his relatives.
When the two outcasts start their new life together working on a patch of farmland, the seed of a loving bond is planted.
The film mainly focuses on unassuming daily routines and the slow blossoming of their mutual affection. The couple, who are at their happiest when surrounded by nature, are beset by tragedy when Cao drowns after accidentally falling into a river.
When the two outcasts start their new life together, the seed of a loving bond is planted.
Amateur actor Wu Renlin, director Li's uncle, plays the role of Ma, while professional actress Hai Qing portrays Cao.
The Hollywood Reporter, in a review of the film, called it "an elegiac story, a humanistic metaphor for a vanishing world seen through the prism of a vulnerable couple cruelly written off by their families."
Variety magazine said: "The poignancy of their burgeoning relationship is the film's patiently ticking driving force ... Wu Renlin and Hai Qing are completely at one with their heroically decent characters."
A small audience watched the film through a private viewing organized by Directube in Shanghai before director Li shared some insights about the film with viewers.
Q: Why did you pair a professional actress with an amateur?
A: I wanted to find a professional actor for Ma's role. However, not many actors are willing to spend a whole year on one film, as our filming ran on and off through all four seasons.
Hai Qing is very professional and managed to master the local dialect. All she had to do was to leave aside her acting skills and return to real life, putting all her village experience and feeling into the film.
For my uncle, who is a farmer himself, he just needed to be himself. The challenging part for him was to deal with the details, like facial expression and body movements in certain scenes. Their screen relationship was a two-way effort, which turned out to be balanced.
The film mainly focuses on unassuming daily routines and the slow blossoming of the couple's mutual affection.
Q: Your last film "Walking Past the Future" was about immigrants in a big city. The focus of this film turns back to rural life and people, like most of your earlier works. Why is that?
A: I grew up in a village, where there are so many stories that the rest of the world should know about. We have over 80,000 cinema screens around the country, but too few of them spare slots for rural-themed films. There are already plenty of films on metropolitan life. As a film director, I want to present rural village life and people to the world as much as possible.
It's like in sports competitions. Apart from medal winners, other participants are worthy of attention and respect, too, because everyone does their best. Some don't even get the chance to step onto the track, but serve as exercise partners. But they are important and should be seen.
Director Li Ruijun
Q: Why do you name the film "Return to Dust?"
A: This film is about time, life and land. We filmed in all four seasons to show the cultivation and growth of crops and the farm livestock.
It feels like we planted this film from the earth. The crew spent a lot of time waiting for the seasons to change to get the natural sceneries we needed. We put the fate of the film into the hands of time and land, just like farmers do.
Time carries everything away, while dust and earth bury all lives. Everything returns to dust. This name seems vague, but it suits the theme of the film well.
