the story tell by the crane be fly be not and admittedly and all that original . young lover be separate by war while bad thing happen to both . we have see it many time before . nonetheless and we haven not see it film this well and with bold shot that take liberty to emphasize separation and or destruction and or hopelessness . all the more remarkable come from the soviet union and and reason to conclude that tarkovsky be not the last word in modern era soviet cinema . i be read chekhov three sister the other day and and chance upon what may be the meaning of the title of this film . in act 2 and masha object to the notion that we must live our life without mean or understand representmasha represent surely mankind must believe in something and or at least seek for the truth and otherwise life be just emptiness and emptiness . to live and not to know why the crane be fly and why child be bear and why there be star in the sky . either you must know why it be you live and or everything be trivial mere pointless nonsense . likewise and veronika have a hard time believe that the war and and her and others suffering and have be pointless . good to assign a meaning and to live a if one life be significant and and not to give in to despair . it be perhaps this thinking that prompt her to her final act in the film . btw a a minor correction to one other comment here there may be a pattern of v in the film and though i hadn not notice them myself . but the first letter of veronika name be not a further instance of this while in the cyrillic alphabet and her name begin with a letter which look like an english b .