Thai film ‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ is our generation’s reality

By: Gelene Peñalosa - 8 months ago

You know a movie slaps when a whole generation relates to it.

Everyone has been quite abuzz with this Thai movie titled, “Lahn Mah” or “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.” From the title alone, well, it is what you’d expect it to be—a heartwarming, probably a tearjerker film of how we should take better care of our elderly.

And you know what, it actually is. But, the plot is this: A man decides to resign from his job to take care of his sick grandmother, not out of love, but to be left with an inheritance that’s worth millions. Well, that is until he actually starts caring for his grandmother and understanding how deeply rooted familial ties are. Cue the sentimental montage!

Moving away from that thought, the film is actually popular amongst Thai cinephiles. Some are even raving about it, saying that it’s a definite must-watch. Some are even hoping to catch it in cinemas too.

To be honest, this film (from the premise alone), would be a smash hit with Filipinos. We seriously love our tearjerker, family-oriented movies and teleseryes so much, because it’s a reflection of what our values are as a society.

There’s no doubt that this film will resonate with most Filipinos—especially those who are close to their grandparents. Because it is, to a fault, our own realities as well.

Having a tightly-knit relationship with our families, especially our elders, has always been the norm since time immemorial. It’s just something that we cannot seem to shake off—it’s a Filipino (or Asian) characteristic. With that tightly-knit relationship, comes the notion that we, the young people, are supposed to take care of our elders when they need it.

Though it can be spurned into a toxic kind of relationship, especially if it becomes into a take-take situation (or the bad side of ‘utang na loob’ culture persists) , some parts of us just can’t help but give back to the ones that have cared for us unconditionally.

As such, we’ve always nurtured that thought of allotting some money for our loved ones as a way of doing so, planning our futures with them in the process. However, with our current economy, is it still viable and sustainable for us to do so?

If we’re already not earning enough for ourselves, how will we be able to provide and give back to our elders? How can we plan for the long-term when we’re already strapped and barely surviving in the present and in the short-term?

Sure, movies like this can make you remember your roots, where you came from, and all that cliché. But clichés alone won’t be fulfilling your daily needs, nor will they be caring for your elders and loved ones.

We won’t be able to make our millions before our loved ones die, at this rate. With everything getting priced so high—from housing, groceries, bills, among other things and with a stagnant salary, well, this generation wouldn’t be able to give back money-wise.

Another banal thought could be, “’Di naman kailangan pera eh…” Let us beg to differ and retort right back by saying, “Pero mas gusto niyo yung pera, diba?”

Silence.

Because it’s true—we all just want more money at this point. It’s no joke, sadly. We’ll all just be slaves to our own jobs and money when we all get older.

Also, let me correct myself here—this Thai film isn’t our reality, it’s an idealistic way of looking at life now.

 

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