Short Film Review: ‘Death Education’ – A Profound Reflection on Mortality.

We all would die someday. But how will our remains be treated when we have no life in us? Is this a thought that runs in everyone’s mind?

Yuxuan Ethan Wu’s short film ‘Death Education‘ gives you a lot more to think about, especially about death and how we often are supposed to honour those who have passed. This film follows a high school class and their teacher as they engage in an unusual lesson that doesn’t take place in their classroom, but in a cemetery.

Through the brief narration, we learn that Teacher Qian Jianbo has cultivated a rare tradition where every year during the Tomb Sweeping Festival, he and his students take part in the burial of unclaimed bodies that have been turned into ashes. This solemn practice is more than just an act of service. It is a direct engagement with mortality that seems to remind us all that mortality is inevitable for us all.

The documentary film keeps a very sombre tone and pace that compels you to not alone pay attention but also keep a reflective appreciation of how we are supposed to process death and honour those that have passed on. This eerie tone is set right from the start of the film with the voice-over asking ‘What do ashes look like?’. This sends a chill down your spine almost immediately and that chill almost doesn’t leave you right through to the end of this short.

The scenes of the cremation process that are shown in the film are further griping and you are suddenly forced to realize what is the reality for these unclaimed bodies. You begin to wonder who they are and what their stories could be. The film doesn’t delve much into trying to uncover the identities of those deceased people, however.

The film also captures the awareness of the students on the significance of the tasks they prepare to visit the funeral home. They remind themselves that is not a casual school trip where they are going on to have fun. They acknowledged that they would have to be respectful to the deceased.

The production elements like the sound design and cinematography which are mostly handheld shots also add an immersive touch to the film. You can tell that the intention was to make this film feel as intimate as possible not just because of its themes of mortality but also as a reminder of how close we are to it.

The film ends by leaving us with some more staggering truth. Since 2018, Qian and his students have buried 189 unidentified individuals. This isn’t just a statistic. It is a statement on remembrance and dignity. In opening up this conversation, the film challenges us to rethink our relationship with mortality.

‘Death Education‘ is certainly an invitation to reflect. With just 13 minutes of runtime, it forces us to sit with the discomfort of impermanence, urging us to find meaning in the space between life and loss. It doesn’t provide solutions, nor does it attempt to soften the reality of death. Instead, it only asks us to be respectful of loss and appreciate life.

I will score this short film 4 out of 5 stars.