How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
A lazy gamer and school dropout decides to care for his terminally ill grandmother, hoping to secure her inheritance. But to his surprise, a bond starts to form between them. This film was a massive box office hit across Asia.
Mengju has bowel cancer and only a year to live. While her two sons are highly materialistic, her only daughter is genuinely caring. When grandson M announces that he wants to look after Amah (grandma), she initially reacts rather coldly. Although she raised him, he’s barely been in touch since. M thinks he’s onto a financial windfall, but slowly they begin to connect, developing a deeper understanding of one another as time goes on.
This successful film touches on themes that are still very relevant in Asia today, such as the difference in treatment and appreciation of the male part of the family and society, and the subordinate, often undervalued, role of women. Amah herself lives a relatively simple life, while her brothers inherited generously from their parents. Yet she was far from fair either when it came to raising her own children.
The director takes his time to delicately explore these prejudices in a way that’s both realistic and straightforward, yet also warm and moving. (av)