23/23

A man quits his job to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by this fortune. He schemes to win her favor before she passes away. This is actually the film debut of Usa Semkhum, a 78-year-old housewife who plays Grandma Meng Ju. M: Do you ever get lonely? Amah: I wouldn’t call it loneliness. It’s part of the process of life. Amah: I have a problem the day after Chinese New Year. When all the leftovers from the previous night are in the fridge and I know I have to eat them all by myself. The esteemed film critic Roger Ebert once declared that movies are blatant empathy-generating machines, and I agreed with that statement, and there’s no better demonstration of this phenomenon than How to Make Millions before Grandma’s death. A rollercoaster of emotions and a rollercoaster of emotions, what a ride it was! Writer-director Pat Boonnitipat didn’t even try to reinvent the wheel. You know exactly what’s going to happen in the end; There is no ultimate panacea (here’s looking at you, Queen of Tears), there is no “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” There is no ending and no final twist (there is a twist of sorts, but Choo whispered to me what the twist would be an hour before it drops, and of course he was right. How does he do this every time?), but this is a testament to great storytelling in the sense that you don’t need twists, flashy cinematography, perfect orchestration, a CGI dream sequence, or a whole chain of events to deliver a delicious dose of feel. All you need is authenticity without pretense. The film’s greatest asset is its relatability. If you were born into an Asian family with ancestral roots that stretch far and wide, you’ll feel familiar with all the characters. Perhaps you see reflections of your relatives and family members here – a long-suffering daughter, a son who thinks problems that can be solved with money are not problems, a calculating daughter-in-law, a vain son and a child whose eyes are glued to the computer screen. The story is fictional, but it feels true with its sharp observation of family dynamics as the matriarch’s death is imminent and the vultures start circling. The grandmother is no fool, she knows why she is the center of attention, and even M is not spared when she tells her: "you also sow seeds hoping you will get them right?" Credit must be given to the actors who breathed life into their characters. I am surprised that this is Usha Seamkhum’s first acting role. She is so natural without the slightest artificiality. Putthipong "Billkin" Assaratanakul is the perfect foil for Amah’s no-nonsense approach to life. You follow his arc with avidity, knowing that he’s learning the ways of life, and when that moment comes, it’s so subtle that you know it’s the culmination of Amah’s many interactions with him. While the plot is straightforward, I doubt anyone will find this boring. As it steams towards its inevitable end, it does – your tears will flow, but know that every stream is earned, as will every laugh. Incidentally, this is currently the highest-grossing film in Thailand and Indonesia, which is a testament to the fact that it has resonated with many viewers. This is the rare film that Choo and I were still talking about over breakfast this morning, probably because we didn’t want to lose the magic, desperately trying to hold on to the strings of a heartfelt story. You’d be surprised how, after a good night’s sleep, we can still dig up vignettes of truth, like the quick scene of a monk in a wheelchair at a chemo clinic, as if to suggest that the disease affects everyone, even the religiously devout, or the scene where Amah goes to see her estranged brother to borrow money for a cemetery. My theory is that Amah already knows the outcome, but she still wanted M to learn a hard life lesson. School is out.

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