Embers

Director: Aoqian Sun

Cast: Song Jia, Wen Qi, Zu Feng, Zhang Zhanyi, Ma Ling

A crematorium worker in China mixes up two sets of ashes with deadly consequences

Huang Yan (Song Jia) manages the furnace at a crematorium. On one fateful afternoon, she mixes two sets of ashes at work, with the families of the dead receiving wrongful remains. The woman believes the bad luck coming from the mix-up is causing the deadly illness ravaging her body and, on a desperate attempt to save her life, sets out to undo her mistake with the unexpected help of a young girl caught in the embroil. Aoqian Sun expertly traverses the lines between social drama and thriller to prod at questions of death and family within contemporary Chinese society. (RAFA SALES ROSS)