Director: Li Ruijun, Country: China, Year: 2022
This April, The Dock's Classic Cinema presents the tender Chinese drama, Return To Dust. Elegantly shot and beautifully acted, this film shows a side of Chinese society rarely seen on cinema screens.
The film is set in the rural Gansu region of China. It focuses on Ma and Cao - two people seen only as inconveniences by their respective families. They are cast off and forced into an arranged marriage.Living a simple but challenging farming life, Ma and Cao gradually fall in love. Together, they decide to build their own modest home. However, a state-ordered demolition process threatens their very way of life.
Return to Dust proved a surprise commercial hit in China before being targeted by local censors and removed from Chinese cinemas and streaming platforms. See the original, uncensored version.
“... this poetic tale of an arranged marriage which blossoms into a true partnership is Li’s most affecting and accessible work to date.” - Screen International
About Classic Cinema
Classic Cinema is the Dock's film club which brings its audience the best of international, independent, and arthouse film. Classic Cinema usually meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 11.30am.
