Films Return to Dust

Subscribe
Advertising Remove ads
Return to Dust poster

Film · 2022

Return to Dust

Original titleYin Ru Chen Yan

Directed by Li Ruijun

  • 2 h 13 min
  • PG
  • Drama
  • China
  • Released in the UK 3 November 2022
Watch trailer Where to watch · from £3.49 Rate it

Synopsis

Ma (Wu Renlin) and Cao (Christina Hai) have been expelled from their respective families and forced to marry. She is humble and simple, and he is very shy, but both are aware that they will have to put aside the shames to try to prosper the arranged marriage. In the midst of adversity and with the strength of both begins to build a home and begin to feel as a bond begins to forge between them. The Earth and the attunement you feel with it and its cycles will help you create a haven to thrive.

'Return to Dust' is a drama directed and signed by filmmaker Li Ruijun, author of numerous Chinese titles such as 'Gaosu tamen, wo cheng baihe qu le' or 'Jia zai shui cao feng mao di fang'. The film stars Wu Renlin, who in addition to actor is producer and art designer, and by Christina Hai ('My country, my parents').

Released in China and in numerous festivals last year, the film already has several nominations and some awards. In Spain, it has won the award for best film at the Valladolid International Film Festival and the Barcelona Asian Film Festival. Internationally he has also won other awards at the Lisbon and Estoril Festival or at the Berlin Festival. The film is produce by Hucheng No.7 Films, Gansu Qizi Culture & Media and distributed by BTeam Pictures.

Where to watch Return to Dust

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
133 min2 hours and 13 minutes
Budget
CN¥2mAlibaba Pictures
Rating
PGParental guidance
How long is Return to Dust?
2 hours and 13 minutes (133 minutes).
When was Return to Dust released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 3 November 2022.
Who directed Return to Dust?
Li Ruijun.
Where can I watch Return to Dust?
In the UK it is available to rent on Apple TV.
Advertising Remove ads

Cast

Full cast (2)
Director
Li Ruijun
Writers
Li Ruijun

Videos and trailers

See the video
'Return to Dust' VOSE trailer 1:3826 June 2023

Photos and posters

All 10 photos

Trivia

  • Meaning behind the names of the children

    Youtie, means "having iron" in Chinese. His two dead older brothers are called "having gold" and "having silver", and the third older brother who is still alive is called "having copper". The order of "gold, silver, copper and iron" is a Chinese folk custom.

  • Where was filmed?

    The movie was filmed in the director's hometown, the village of Hugiangzi, in Gansu province. Most of the crew are residents of the village, except for a few of the main characters. In fact, the mud houses where the protagonists live in the movie can be found everywhere in this place.

  • Banned from China

    This movie was banned from the streaming services in China on september for unknown reasons. It was also banned from the social media.

  • Relatives of the director

    The lead actor in this film, Renlin Wu, is the uncle from his mother's side of director the Ruijun Li.

  • Blackmail

    This film shows how the local government pays farmers to demolish their ruined and unused houses to execute a more important government command to improve the appearance of the little village. Some of the villagers that left the village to work outside in bigger and better cities in China decided to return home to consent the demolition of their old houses in order to receive the money the government promised.

If you liked Return to Dust

Advertising Remove ads