‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Review: Thai Oscar Entry Is a Disarmingly Sentimental Tear-Jerker

Pat Boonnitipat's comedy-drama, a multi-territory success in Southeast Asia, follows a Bangkok family as they compete to be the first to inherit.

Before the closing credits roll, the protagonist in How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Lahn Mah) may exchange his cynical goal for unselfish devotion, as suggested by a few well-placed bars of tinkly piano music. 

However, this melancholy comedy-drama's unreserved tenderness doesn't lessen its poignancy or perspicacity in seeing tense family dynamics when inheritance and end-of-life concerns ignite passions. Thailand is the first nation to have a submission on the 15-title shortlist for the international Oscar.

In its native release, Pat Boonnitipat's first feature film was a huge hit. It went on to achieve comparable success in other parts of Southeast Asia and made an estimated $73.8 million globally. It is easy to understand why. Undoubtedly, the viral social media publicity that resulted from Manila theatre employees distributing tissues before every show and viewers sharing videos of themselves crying uncontrollably as they left helped.

Perhaps more important, though, is the insight and love with which Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn and Boonnitipat's screenplay depicts a complex and flawed family dynamic that is based on a loving sense of intergenerational duty, despite the fact that selfish interests occasionally get in the way. Although the story's dynamic is distinctly Asian, the fundamental plot devices are general enough to work elsewhere.

In an introductory sequence set on the day of the Qingming Festival, when families of Chinese descent visit their ancestors' graves to clean the sites, scatter flowers, and make ceremonial offerings of food and incense, the theme of death is introduced with a pleasant lightness of touch. 

For Mengju (Usha Seamkhum), the title's crotchety grandma, affectionately known as her family as Amah, the religious celebration is the most important thing. She frequently criticises them and is dictatorial, usually with good reason.

The wife and daughter of her eldest son Kiang (Sanya Kunakorn), a financial trader, join in on video call, and Amah notes that they never come to see her.

 Soei (Pongsatorn Jongwilas), her youngest son, is a gambling addict and a recalcitrant. The middle child, the most obedient of Mengju's three children, is Sew (Sarinrat Thomas), a worn-out grocery employee.

 However, Amah's daughter appears to be negatively impacted by Sew's son M (Putthipong Assaratanakul, often known as "Billkin") quitting college in pursuit of a lucrative career as a videogame streamer.