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M: Have you ever felt lonely?
A man quits his job to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fortune. He plans to win her favor before she dies. This is actually the film debut of Usa Semkhum, a 78-year-old housewife, who plays the role of Grandma Meng Ju. Amah: I wouldn’t call it loneliness. It’s part of the process of life.
Writer-director Pat Boonnitipat didn’t even try to reinvent the wheel
Amah: I have a problem with the day after Chinese New Year. When all the leftovers from the night before are in the fridge and I know I’m going to have to eat them alone. Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert once said that movies are giant empathy-generating machines, a statement I have embraced wholeheartedly, and there’s no better demonstration of this phenomenon than How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. The seesaw of emotions and the rollercoaster of feelings, what a ride! You know exactly what’s going to happen at the end; There’s no final miracle cure (here’s looking at you, Queen of Tears), there’s no “it’s always darkest before the dawn” ending, and there’s no final twist (there is a twist of sorts, but Choo whispered to me what the twist would be an hour before she left, and she was right, of course.
You just need authenticity without any artifice
How does she do that every time?), but that’s a testament to great storytelling, because you don’t need twists, flashy cinematography, full orchestration, CGI dream sequences, or all that hoopla to serve up a delicious plate of heart. The film’s greatest asset is its relatability. If you were born into an Asian family with ancestral roots that stretch far back, you’ll feel familiar with all the characters. You might see manifestations of your own family and relatives here—the long-suffering daughter, the son who feels that problems that can be solved with money aren’t problems at all, the calculating daughter-in-law, the worthless son, and the boy whose eyes are glued to the computer screen. The story is fictional but feels real with its keen observation of the family dynamics as the matriarch’s death is imminent and the vultures begin to circle.
She is so natural without a single shred of artifice
The grandmother is no fool, she knows why she is the center of attention and even M is not spared when she tells him, “you are also planting seeds in the hope of reaping them, right?” Credit has to go to the actors who brought their characters to life. I am surprised that this is Usha Seamkhum’s first acting role. Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul is the perfect foil to Amah’s no-nonsense approach to life. You will follow his arc fervently knowing that he will get smarter with the ways of life and when that moment arrives, it will be so subtle that you will know that it is a culmination of Amah’s many interactions with him. While the plot is straightforward, I doubt anyone will find it boring.
School is out
As it builds toward the inevitable ending, it will—your tears will flow, but know that every stream will be well-earned, as will every laugh. In fact, this is currently the highest-grossing film in Thailand and Indonesia, evidence that it has resonated with many audiences. This is that rare film that Choo and I were still talking about over breakfast this morning, probably because we didn’t want the magic to wear off, trying desperately to cling to the tentacles of a heartfelt story. You’d be surprised that we can still unearth vignettes of truth after a good night’s sleep, like a quick shot of a monk in a wheelchair at the chemotherapy clinic, as if to suggest that the disease affects everyone, including the religiously pious, or the scene where Amah goes to meet her estranged brother to borrow money for a grave. My theory is that Amah already knows the outcome, but she still wants M to learn a hard life lesson.
https://pafisanggau.com/2024/11/16/the-lighthouse-2019-dvd9-ddp-torrent-download/