How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

There are things in life more important than money, but sometimes we lose sight of that, unwittingly allowing our perspectives to become seriously skewed. Unfortunately, this usually happens most often when family-related considerations are involved. And those flawed perceptions, in turn, can become even further distorted when money is tied up with those familial matters, particularly when inheritance concerns loom. Such is the case for a Chinese-Thai family facing the prospects of what will happen to the assets of its terminally ill matriarch (Usha Seamkhum) who has recently been diagnosed with Stage IV intestinal cancer. Several relatives vie for control of her money and property, but the most ambitious among them is her financially strapped grandson (Putthipong Assaratanakul), who suddenly and miraculously manages to shed his generally indifferent attitude toward her and eagerly volunteers to step up as her full-time caretaker, all in hopes that this generous gesture will translate into a sizable windfall upon her passing. However, even though Grandma may be a bit old-fashioned in some of her thinking and outlooks, she’s no naïve dullard, either, quickly recognizing this shift as the transparent move that it is. And she’s determined to have her way about this scenario, using it as an opportunity to not only get her needs met, but also to give her often-lost grandson valuable lessons in tough love and finding much-needed direction in life. So how will this unfold? Will these allegedly altruistic efforts ring true? Moreover, can they be carried out without undue interference from other relatives, most notably his two uncles (Sanya Kunakorn, Pongsatorn Jongwilas), who each have self-serving agendas of their own? And how will Grandma respond to these diverse family dynamics and a host of unforeseen developments that emerge at a time when her health is failing fast? Writer-director Pat Boonnitipat’s debut feature represents an impressive big screen premiere, one that’s thoughtful, sensitive, incisive and touching without becoming schmaltzy, manipulative or overly sentimental. The picture’s finely constructed narrative and superbly written screenplay tell this engaging story with a skilled hand for a first-time filmmaker, yielding a production that’s evenly paced and knows precisely when to employ its dramatic and comedic touches for maximum effect. And, on top of all this, this offering’s gifted ensemble, gorgeous cinematography and suitably atmospheric background score all combine to make the most out of the well-crafted foundation underlying this material. If there’s anything that could use some improvement, it might be in tweaking the picture’s slightly stretched-out closing act, which could have benefitted from some modest editing, but that’s an easily overlooked shortfall in light of all of the film’s other outstanding attributes. “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” is truly a cinematic gem that has somehow flown well below the radar thus far, but it’s one of those pictures genuinely worth a look. Thankfully, it’s now widely available for streaming online and truly makes for a worthwhile watch, serving up meaningful observations for those times when we might be on the verge of losing perspective.

Typically recalcitrant teen “M” (Putthipong Assaratanakul) is puzzled by the behaviour of his cousin “Mui” (Tontawan Tantivejakul) as she meticulously cares for a bedridden, elderly, gentleman. Puzzled, that is, until he dies and leaves her his large home instead of to his children. Almost simultaneously, he goes to visit an ancestral tomb with his own family only for his grandma (Usha Seamkhum) to take a tumble down the mound and hurt her ankle. A routine trip to the hospital delivers some bad news for the family as they discover that she has stage 4 cancer and perhaps just a year to live. Galvanised by the experience of “Mui” and conscious that his own gaming business isn’t exactly setting the cassia on fire, he starts to pay a great deal more attention to this elderly but independently minded lady, in the hope that he might jump up the inheritance ladder ahead of his own mother and her two brothers. One uncle “Soei” (Pongsatorn Jongwilas) is a bit of a thieving wastrel; the other “Kiang” (Sanya Kunakorn) is a successful man living with his wife and young daughter and then there’s his own mum “Sew” (Jear Sarinrat Thomas) who works shifts to keep her and her idler son in reasonable style. Needless to say, “Amah” didn’t come up the river on the last lotus blossom and so is sceptical about her grandson’s newfound familial devotions, but as they share her small (but apparently quite valuable) home, we see their relationship evolve from the obviously venal and suspicious to the more obviously loving. The plot itself does follow some fairly predictable lines, but it’s the two principal characterisations that really work here. The young “M” actually appears to mature in front of us thanks to a solid and often quite humorous performance whilst the wily and spirited grandmother has to face her own mortality and review her own life - often via the disappointing conduits of her children, her grandson and her estranged and wealthy brother. In some ways it reminded me of “Tokyo Story” (1953) in that it depicts attitudes to an elderly parent who is but a fly in the ointment of their own family and professional lives - until, that is, they realise there might be assets to divide. In the end, all the old lady really wants is to see her brood happy and to have that final “home” of her own, but for that she needs 1 million Baht (c.£23k) to secure a spacious plot so her own will come and pay her a visit once a year in remembrance. What’s odd here is that this stoic lady makes a meagre living making congee, has only modest savings in a tin in the kitchen but could never afford to fund her dream without selling her home - yet that isn’t one of the cards she is willing to play. It’s not about her now, but her family’s tomorrow. The gentle intensity of their relationship is really quite touching to watch unfold and this debut effort from Seamkhum is really quite poignant and remarkable. Indeed, when it is just the two of them getting on each other’s nerves; or him buying the wrong fish; or playing cards or even moving the statue of the goddess it’s a lovely insight into an inter-generational rapport that offers both a chance to grow up. Two hours flew by and this is certainly a film you can take quite a lot from to think about afterwards.