The tale of two forgotten souls on the outskirts of society, is explored in Li Ruijun’s Return to Dust, in competition at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival.
With one of the most interesting posters and only Chinese film of the Berlinale competition, Li Ruijun’s film Return to Dust (Yin Ru Chen Yan), examines two lonely lives brought together by force and solitude. Li, the young filmmaker still in his late 30s, directs a tender film of empathy in his provincial hometown region of Gaotai. Opening up straight to the premise, Ma Youtie is offered Cao Guiying, by their siblings for marriage. The two are what may be considered the village idiots. Ma, who never learned more than anything but farming enjoys the simple country lifestyle and can’t adapt to the future. Guiying, who is infertile and can’t control when she pees, is automatically an outcast to everyone. The two, are a sad match to others, but Li’s interest in the two’s relationship is what makes the film appealing.
The two marry and are shown performing mundane farming activities as the backdrop of the rural land is on the come up on land advancement. They are offered a good monetary sum to sell their house (owned by Ma’s brother) and they both decide to build their own house on the vast land using mud bricks and hay. The day-to-day activities show a great care between the two, such as making sure one eats, or buying a coat for Guiying are many of the gratitude both give to each other and shows the tenderness between the two, but seem to fall into the forced tear jerker area. As we see two poor, outcasted people on the outskirts, Ruijun’s shows the two lives and how it can be changed by the evolving state of land development, the end of a community, and how being at the bottom of the barrel is often the treated the worse. But to Ma and Guiying, the simple things in life are all they need, because that is what’s essential to them, and in their view, life.
Aside from the two’s relationship, in this village, Ma is heralded as the chosen one, as he is the only donor compatible to an ill Zhang Youngfa, a wealthy man who handles the land cost for the village, and accepts to donate his blood to Youngfa as a way of paying him back on behalf of the village. This occurring blood donation, breaks down Guiying who sees this as killing Ma as she sees him getting weaker. These events are practically acting showcases for both Ma and Guiying. Ma who plays the tender, selfless role, using his grunts and slouched posture as a juxtaposition in the empathetic actions towards Guiying whether it be feeding her, tending her urine problem, and overall respect towards her. From Guiying’s point of view, she overly cares to make sure Ma is okay, while she pushes herself to try to help him no matter what, whether she fails at task or not. She may not reach the goal, but her perseverance is what sets her apart. Combining these two shape a conclusion, that seemed predictable and abrupt, so that would be my biggest gripe for the film.
As the film closes for the couple, the two go through a singular hardship that changes their future. It’s commentary on not just rural life, but treatment on the outcasts, doesn’t bring much to the never-ending films that explore outcasts and misery. It may or may not work for some, but the character studies do leave a rich history and evaluation of China’s adaptation to capitalize. It’s where Ma and Guiying are the strongest aspects of the film, as they carry the film and are on-screen for almost 95% of its runtime, and never short of tenderness.
