How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024) Review: Are you my first place?

Sometimes a story can help us recognize what we’ve frequently taken for granted. It’s amusing. And, maybe it makes you feel like crying. For instance, when the Caller ID on your phone shows ‘Mom Calling’ or ‘Dad Calling’, consider yourself lucky and value it while it lasts. Not many have the chance to value it, but many live to regret it if they don’t pick up the phone.

หลานม่า (‘Lahn Mah’ meaning ‘Grandma’s grandchild’) directed by Pat Boonnitipat, demonstrates the potency of genuine storytelling, compelling individuals, and a skillfully written script, inspired by real-life events through a grandmother and her grandson. Co-written by Boonnitipat and popular scriptwriter, Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, ‘Lahn Mah’ became the second highest-grossing Thai film of 2024, making over $ 74 million worldwide.

Making it up to the Oscar shortlist in the Best International Feature Film, a first for Thailand, this trailblazing movie has a simple premise— A young man cozies up to his grandmother to receive her inheritance. It may sound cynical, but this heartwarming story makes a significant point.

Menju (Usha Seamkhum), a widow and congee-maker, has quietly and unsentimentally accepted that her cancer is terminal. She is well aware, however, that her actions may cause issues with her adult children, including the stern stockbroker Kiang (Sanya Kunakorn), the drunken gambler Soei (Pongsatorn Jongwilas), and the diligent Sew (Sarinrat Thomas), whose son M (Putthipong Assaratanakul) is the main character.

M, a 20-something man who stays at home, believed that he could make a lot of money by livestreaming his game play to admirers who subscribed online. However, this idea has failed. While in this self-imposed rut, he runs into his gorgeous cousin Mui (Tontawan Tantivejakul), however, who has recently received an inheritance from her grandfather, whom she nursed while on his deathbed. This concept of receiving a fortune after caring for an elder during his/her last days captivates M who decides to try it himself by pretending, or perhaps low-key caring for his grandmother, Menju. Mui suggests that M spend as much time as possible with his grandmother so that he won’t notice the “old person smell.”

The story develops as M commences his latest project targeting his grandmother’s inheritance, but faces severe setbacks in the form of his family and the million-dollar question: Who does his grandmother love most— enough that she would leave her inheritance to?

The film also shows several Thai and Chinese traditions as the family is Thai-Chinese. At the beginning of the movie, the Qingming Festival is shown—  a typical Chinese tradition during which families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors. Offerings would typically include traditional food dishes and the burning of joss sticks and joss paper.

On the other hand, a very Thai tradition portrayed includes the ‘Charity of Coffins’ where you go to a temple and write down your wish on the coffin. You put money for people who are homeless or in case of unclaimed bodies and you buy a coffin for them.

These insights into multi-cultural traditions were beautifully captured in this movie, making it an absolutely riveting experience.

The familial complexities and the inequality portrayed by the divisions of rich and poor within the family itself make this movie an intriguing watch disguised as a slow burn. Will M receive his inheritance? Does Grandma love M the most? Does Grandma love her kids unconditionally and not M? There is also the ethical question of whether it is actually ok to con your grandmother, depending on your plight.

Finally, is it possible to actually care for anybody in this world, without expecting anything in return?

Tune in to watch this movie, to discover if the aforementioned questions are answered. Brace yourself, it’s sentimental and will make you question every belief or opinion you have ever held up to this day. Delve into a self-retrospection mode to completely enjoy this movie, and trust me, you will walk out of that theatre holding an alternate perspective on the slice of life.