Red Dust tells us the story of writer Shao Hua during the period 1935-1950. The story starts from a very personal point of view, by depicting the days when Shao Hua used to write alone, locked up in the attic by her father, then slowly unfolds to the wider reality of a country suffering poverty and persecution, because of the Japanese first, because of the clashes between the nationalists and the communists later. However, it’s not a sad movie: Shao Hua has love and friendship to care about, and indeed the movie is more of a journey of her heart, as she climbs through the ups and downs of life, with moments of laughter and glee following or giving way to moments of disappointment and insight. Alongside, as she is a writer, we also get to see as the steps of her existence influence the developing of her novel.
Directed by Ho Yim | Starring : Brigitte Lin, Han Chin, Maggie Cheung, Richard Ng, Josephine Koo | Presented at Berlin Film Festival, Singapore Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival
Chinese Cinema 