"Dust and Ashes" depicts the days after the death of Hae Soo’s mother, that she holds a funeral and reports her mother’s death. It is difficult to find traces of sadness or mourning in the faces of Hae Soo and her younger brother, and the funeral is just one of the formalities that they have to do. Instead, they have suspicious meetings and paperwork to get their mother’s death benefit. The film creates a more desolate atmosphere, with little dialogue or description of characters’ background. And it effectively portrays the main character´s anxious and breathtaking life just before being demolished like her village.