A local blockbuster, Thailand's Oscar submission set attendance records across Southeast Asia and claimed the audience award at New York’s Asian Film Festival.
‘M’, driven by the desire for a multimillion-dollar inheritance, puts aside his dreams as a gamer to care for his terminally ill grandmother. However, winning Grandma's favor is no easy feat. She proves to be a tough nut to crack - demanding, exacting, and exceedingly difficult to please. To add to the drama, he's not the only one gunning for the inheritance. M finds himself embroiled in a gripping competition, where he must go to great lengths to become the apple of Grandma's eye before time runs out, all in pursuit of a life-changing, multimillion-dollar inheritance.
The Garden Cinema View:
A surprising mega hit in East and South East Asia, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is a lowkey family drama with rather sentimental flourishes that nonetheless achieves a wrenching emotional state (for your humble Garden Cinema programmer at least). The quiet, suburban Bangkok setting of trains, cemeteries, and cluttered houses lend a peaceful backdrop that recalls something of Hirokazu Koreeda’s work. The intergenerational relationship is authentically played, and might be compared to the likes of Sweet Bean or The Farewell, and there’s enough sharpness in the dialogue to avoid excessive syrup. Just be sure not to leave your own elders with too many leftovers in their fridge after Christmas.
