FILM REVIEWS

shoulders instead. Guiying also tries to help her husband as much as possible. One cold winter night, to let her busy husband enjoy the warmth earlier, Guiying takes the risk of carrying a light and hands hot water to Youtie. With the intelligent direction of Li Ruijun, the film proves that love does not require grand gestures.

In addition to the rich portrayal of the characters, the rural atmosphere is also realistic and effective. The filming location is set in an authentic rural area. Except for Guiying, all other villagers, including Youtie, are played by real-life fellow villagers of director Li Ruijun. In addition, there isn’t much background music, so the movie’s atmosphere isn’t disturbed, and the story slowly evolves with simple shots.

Review

by Xiaofeng Li, Weston, ME

Would you still watch a movie that seems boring? “Return to Dust,” directed by Li Ruijun, doesn’t contain any of the elements often considered indispensable to a movie: a magnificent worldview, a complicated and tortuous plot, or an exciting climax. It focuses on Ma Youtie and his disabled wife, Cao Guiying, living in 2011 in Northwest China with scarce resources. Despite their hardships, they appreciate the world’s simplest warmth.

This film shows the honesty, kindness, and gentleness of rural laborers. Absent of grand scenes and complicated dialogues, the small actions make these characters extremely realistic. At the beginning of the film, Youtie and Guiying face poor living conditions. Youtie works to strive daily to improve their lives while simultaneously taking care of his wife. In a rainstorm scene, Guiying asks Youtie to help her cover the mud bricks they are using to build their house with a protective plastic bag, but Youtie takes it from Guiying and wraps it around her

The exploitation of the poor by the rich is also a problem in rural areas, and Li Ruijun portrays it realistically. In order to save the landlord’s life, Youtie donates his rare blood to him, receiving nothing in return from the rich landlord. Since most older generation viewers in China have experienced similar incidents, these scenes give them an immersive feeling, arousing their sympathy. Moreover, the director avoids excessive narration to explain the plot’s background, rather, he allows the simple shots of the setting and the dialogue between characters to speak for themselves.

Li Ruijun does not romanticize love or

The Film Proves That Love Does Not Require Grand Gestures

life in this movie. He reveals the most cherished traits of tenderness and selflessness through the simple relationship between Youtie and Guiying. On the loess, Youtie and Guiying make their lives abundant through hard work and kindness. Just like the “wheat flower” Youtie seals on Guiying’s hands, although ordinary, it represents the sincere and beautiful emotions in the hearts of rural laborers

Review by Cara Halloran, Wilmington, DE

Mental health is a topic rarely discussed in the real world. When it comes to our own psyche, it’s pushed under the rug and never shown in a realistic light. Mental Illness isn’t pretty, but it’s not ugly, either. “Girl, Interrupted” (1999) is a movie that paints an interesting and bittersweet picture of the turmoil of psychiatric care in the 60s and the relationship between its patients. Starring Winona Ryder as Susanna Kaysen and Angelina Jolie as Lisa Rowe, the bittersweet film painfully portrays the struggles of mentally ill women. Its storytelling is smart, fast-paced, and emotional to watch. It’s the perfect movie for audiences who enjoy dramatic films.

One of the many factors that make “Girl, Interrupted” unique is the subtlety of its storytelling. Facts are not outright handed to the audience; listening and attention are crucial. This detail is exceptionally beautiful in the conversation of mental health; mental health is often overlooked, and we often are not able to realize when our loved ones are struggling. The theme of Susanna’s identity is superbly explored in multiple facets: her relationship with Lisa, her perception of herself, and her relationship with her doctors during the course of the movie. Susanna’s relationship with Lisa brought to light her fragile identity with those around her. She changes her personality to fit in better with Lisa and only realizes her faults when Lisa calls Susanna “Jaime” — Lisa’s former best friend. Susanna is forced to look internally at her identity and become her own person, not someone dragged along by Lisa or by doctors. She has to decide for herself what she will do with her life, explicitly stated by the head nurse, Valerie (Whoopi Goldberg). While the theme of mental health is portrayed tastefully in “Girl, Inter- to bring unnecessary persecution into play. This sentiment holds true when considering black viewers who have expressed discomfort with these scenes. rupted,” there is an elephant in the room regarding the movie’s unnecessary racism, which was not present in the book. In multiple instances, the main characters are bigoted toward Valerie, which adds no movement to the plot. These scenes are deeply uncomfortable. Fans argue that they helped illustrate the time period of the movie, but that was already communicated through the setting and items in the background itself. There was no need

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed “Girl, Interrupted” and recommend it to anyone looking for a film to watch on a rainy day or to anyone who likes to watch movies that have an abundance of substance. However, as with most things, the film has to be watched with a veil of criticism and understood by a level-headed audience.

Tatsuya Endo’s “Spy x Family” is an animated series from Japan about a cold war between two Eurocentric countries. A spy from the West must forge a traditional family so he can infiltrate a political extremist’s inner circle, understand his intentions, and end any chance of a violent war. Little does he know that his new wife is an anti-terror hitwoman and his adopted daughter is a telepath. “Spy x Family” is both relevant and valuable to modern viewers because of its themes around renouncing unreasonable expectations, opposing war, and cherishing familial love. we care less about understanding others and more about hurting them. With current events like the war against Ukraine caused by Russian nationalist propaganda, it is imperative that we as an audience know ignorance leads to war, which leads to suffering for everyone.

“Spy x Family” teaches modern viewers that authenticity and familial love matter in life. The main characters reject the expectations of society: the spy, Twilight, can take on roles to satisfy social standards, but he sticks to his personal principles. His wife, Yor, is expected to be a good wife by tending to the house and her daughter, but she only succeeds by embracing her maternal instinct and her great physical strength. Their little daughter Anya is a bad student in a rigorous private school who excels at using her unique talents and creativity to stay ahead. The series uses this universal struggle to assure us that high standards and perfectionism are unattainable aspirations, but our unique and eccentric selves are valid.

“Spy x Family’s” other prevailing message is that we must oppose war and the ignorance that brings it. It shows us that war destroys happiness, and propaganda makes us ignorant and divided human beings. Twilight’s mission is to obtain the knowledge needed to keep the peace. This reflects reality:

Finally, these themes make us more intelligent as people, but the reason “Spy x Family” is so dear to my heart is in its core lesson: familial love is crucial to happiness. Yor protects her family from harm, Twilight teaches Anya that real life is more complex than fiction, and Anya understands her parents’ feelings and desires. They’re a middle-class quirky team with difficult lives, but they love each other first and foremost. In contrast, the powerful and affluent Desmond family is disconnected from each other because they don’t understand love. Americans have always strived for the “American Dream” — being married with a nice house with perfect kids. Instead, this show taught me and others that living in a big house was nothing without unconditionally loving people in it to help me grow.

Some audiences disapprove of “Spy x Family” because they believe that it’s a show ruined by its goofiness and a regressive focus on old Western gender roles. It’s a false claim; the moments of brevity and humor give the sadness and terror a greater impact when we’ve let down our emotional guards. I also believe that comedy makes the show more mature: comedy is a grounding agent that helps characters appreciate the present moment and ponder the situation before making impulsive decisions or catastrophizing out of fear.

As for how “Spy x Family” supposedly isn’t progressive in its depiction of gender roles, they have ignored the fact that the story is using a traditional family dynamic to deconstruct it and present realistic consequences; Twilight is the breadwinner, but his excessive workload is taking a mental and physical toll. Yor is supposed to be a model wife, but she expresses the human quality of failing in some duties and not understanding how to best contribute to her family. “Spy x Family” is a very progressive series for its realistic balance between solemnity and levity, as well as its criticism of traditional (and unrealistic) gender norms. I believe that everyone can learn from this surprisingly grounded animated story that life is a fun experience, despite the stress and that we shouldn’t compromise our humanity to fit into society’s rigid roles.

“Spy x Family” is a valuable piece of media because of its themes of opposing societal expectations, depicting war and ignorance as harmful, and embracing familial love in a grounded story that very much reflects reality. The depiction of familial love and the expert balance between solemnity and levity helps write a universal story. From this series, we can all learn to be more thoughtful and happy people.

by Zoe Mogavero

“The Intruder”

by Anonymous

by Xiyan Liu