36/40
A man quits his job to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fate. He plans to win her favor before she passes. This is actually the debut of 78-year-old housewife Usa Semkhum, who plays Grandma Meng Ju. I wouldn’t call it loneliness. It’s part of the process of life: I have a problem with the day after Chinese New Year. When all the leftovers from last night are in the fridge and I know I’ll have to eat them all alone. No matter how hard you try to hold back the tears, that wall will likely come crashing down at the end, with the pickup truck saying goodbye so beautifully in the background. Watching that scene begs the question. Are the tears falling because the film is well-made, or simply because viewers (including me) immediately connect the events on screen with personal memories. The answer is “both.” «How to Make a Million Before Grandma Dies» feels compelling because it perfectly understands family dynamics, especially in Asian families. How inheritance can erase love, how gathering at grandma’s is always a warm moment, how grandma eagerly awaits her children and grandchildren, dressed in her best clothes, and how the piercing loneliness after communion, especially for older people living alone. The memories of all those moments together are truly a valuable legacy.