Shortlisted for the Oscars: Everything to know about ‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies is a Thai film that’s been included in the Oscars shortlist for the International Feature Film Category. It’s the first Thai movie to make the shortlist. It’s been successful in Thailand and became the highest-grossing Thai film in other countries in Asia including Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Vietnam. It’s also made waves in Australia, per Variety.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies: The Plot
The family drama follows the story of Mengju, an elderly woman diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer and her grandson, M, a college dropout who wanted to become a video game streamer. Following in the footsteps of his cousin who received an inheritance from a wealthy relative, he volunteered to be Mengju’s caregiver, hoping to inherit her estate.
Aside from him, other members of the family also try to get their hands on Mengju’s estate: her daughter Sew (M’s mother), her well-to-do son Kiang, and her youngest son Soei who is a gambler and is eyeing his mother’s estate to pay off his gambling debt.
The Trailer
The trailer shows that Mengju knows what M is up to and that he didn’t pretend to be taking care of her out of the goodness of his heart. Eventually, we see how their relationship develops. The trailer is already a bit maudlin, especially when we see how M, who we know wants his grandmother to die to pocket an inheritance, suddenly begins to want her to recover.
The Reaction
The film went viral when moviegoers posted their videos on TikTok crying after watching the film. In some theaters, workers were also seen handing out tissues before the movie started, making more people curious about the tearjerker.
The main actors, Putthipong Assaratanakul, also known as “Billkin,” who plays M, and Usha “Taew” Seamkhum, who plays Mengju, received praise from movie critics, it’s a feat considering this was the first major role for both, according to The Independent.
The Achievement
Bilkin told Deadline when he heard of the movie’s achievement of being shortlisted, “I’m a bit surprised because it’s the first Thai movie that has this opportunity. At the beginning of this project, I never dreamed that we were going to come this far.”
The film’s producer, Vanridee Pongsittisak, was also surprised about the film’s success. She told Screen Daily, “There is a myth that it is difficult for drama or even ‘slice of life’ films to have box office success. With a 70-year-old woman as its main character and absolutely no romance, this film has completely debunked that. We did not expect this scale of success.”
