A newcomer to the Chinese indie film scene, Li Rui Jun’s third film is based on Su Tong’s novel <Fly with the Crane>. Lao Ma and Lao Cao are old carpenters living in a rural village. All their lives they built coffins together for funerals. But when cremation is widely implemented, their skills become obsolete and work scarce. Lao Cao asks Lao Ma to build him a coffin, which Lao Ma painstakingly paints a white crane on. Lao Ma wishes to be buried next to a lake and only his grandson helps fulfill his desire to “be flown by the white crane to heaven.” Static shots and long takes create a calming and realistic portrait of rural life in a small village. Ma’s last wish is rejected by societal rules and the scene of Ma’s entry into the grave dug by his grandson symbolizes the end of tradition and life as he knew it. The film tells the tale of a man unable to even choose how he is buried and questions the dignity of human life. (KANG Naeyoung)