Every so often a film comes along that blurs the line between fiction and reality, one that features such believable characters and situations that viewers can forget it’s not a documentary. The wryly titled Thai film How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Lahn-Mah) offers just such a viewing experience. The characters are all people you’ve met in real life, giving it an extraordinary verisimilitude that’s rare in modern cinema.
The titular Amah (Usha “Teaw” Seamkhum) is a poor widow with three adult children, scraping by in her low-rent flat by selling congee (rice and pork dumpling porridge) on the street. Like all families, her children have gone on to their own lives, Kiang (Sanya “Duu” Kunakorn) is the most prosperous, but quite self-absorbed, Soei (Pungsatorn “Phuak” Jongwilas) is a ne’er do well who keeps waiting for his luck to change, and Sew (Sarinrat “Jear” Thomas) is a single mother, trying to get ahead while stuck in a menial job at the local market.
The film revolves around M (Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul), Sew’s 20-something son who dreams of making it big as a game streamer, but mostly just sits around waiting for life to happen to him. His cousin Mui (Tontawan “Tu” Tantivejakul) moved in to take care of grandpa earlier in the story, then ended up inheriting his home, to the surprise of everyone else in the family. When Amah is diagnosed with stomach cancer, M schemes with Mui about whether he could do the same and become the prime beneficiary of her (extraordinarily modest) estate. When none of Amah’s children make a move to help her out, M moves into her tiny, distinctly low budget apartment.
Dinner with the family, from “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” 2024
While she’s seemingly happy to have the company, she isn’t impressed with M. It takes a while for them to warm to each other, shown in a series of amusing and touching scenes that are best viewed without spoilers. It’s heartwarming to see how M goes from trying to manipulate the situation to his advantage to him actually growing to appreciate and love his obstinate and tough-minded grandmother, as she starts to appreciate him as a young man with dreams of his own.
There’s much worth considering with this story, particularly the long-term impact of the casual criticisms parents and other family members drop on each other. It really is true that if you hear something enough times, you begin to believe it’s true, whether it’s about the world or about yourself. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is also deeply rooted in Thai culture and society, offering an intriguing view of the everyday affairs of life. From visiting a clinic to going to market, funerals and simple home life, this is a film deeply rooted in place and time.
M talks to Amah, from “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” 2024
It’s also an excellent movie. All the actors are very good but Putthipong Assaratanakul as M is exceptional, so good that not for a minute will the viewer consider that it’s an actor playing a role rather than a young man who is living the experience. Heartwarming and poignant (you might want to have a few tissues handy) How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is both a peek into Thai life and a story of every family and every life journey. Highly recommended.
In Thai with Chinese subtitles, released in the USA by Well Go USA.
Planet Dave is run by Dave Taylor, who has been writing about film, cars, games, and his lifestyle for many years. He's based in Boulder, Colorado and assures readers he's only occasionally falling into a gravity well or temporal distortion field.
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