Daniel Nico Laudit says he doesn’t cry easily. He decided to test his strength this month in a cinema in Manila, and documented the experience for his 4.5 million followers on TikTok.
Before the screening, she filmed herself dancing and beaming and said to the camera: “I just watched ‘How to Make a Million Before Grandma Dies.'” About two hours later, she uploaded a very different version of herself: wiping away tears from her . his eyes on the bathroom.
“I went straight to the bathroom after the movie because I wanted to cry out loud,” Mr. Laudit, 24, a content creator, said in a telephone interview. She said she cried again when she got home.
Reactions like Mr. Laudit made the film, which was filmed in Bangkok mostly in Thai, a hit in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, tickets sold out on opening day, theaters had to add more screenings to meet demand, and one chain began offering networks to audiences. In Singapore, it topped the box office from June 6-9. In Indonesia, it has attracted millions of viewers. In Thailand, this is the highest title of the year.
The plot revolves around an aimless and unemployed young man, M, whose only ambition is to livestream his online game. She volunteered to take care of her grandmother after she found out she had Stage 4 cancer. Her motivation was not religious; instead, he hopes that he can inherit her house.
After M moves in with her grandmother, she develops a closer understanding of the complex characters that make up the Thai-Chinese family: Chew, a long-suffering mother who feels that only she can rise to take care of her mother; Soei, the useless youngest uncle who borrows and steals from his grandmother; and Kiang, the eldest uncle who is preoccupied with his daughter and his materialistic wife.
“It talks about something we all have in common, which is family,” said Pat Boonnitipat, the film’s director.
This part of the world is “familiar with many generations living in the same house. I think that kind of upbringing creates a unique feeling in your memory,” said Mr. Pat, 33 years old.
The film explores the tensions that arise in a family before the death of one household head, and the persistent gender bias. In one memorable line, Chew said, “Boys inherit the house, girls inherit cancer.”
Grandmother, or “Ah Ma,” played by the first actress Usha Seamkhum, brusque and bristly, although viewers will soon see that underneath the tough exterior, she loves her family members deeply, and she is lonely. Many viewers said they love the chemistry between Ms. Usha and co-star Putthipong Assaratanakul, who plays the grandson.
Mr. Putthipong, better known by his nickname, Billkin, is famous in Thailand as a television actor and pop star.
“The strength of this film lies in the story and how it draws the audience into the story, allowing them to compare the story in the film with their own personal lives,” said Angeline Kartika, 24, a content creator in Jakarta, the capital. from Indonesia. He saw the film last month.
Like many viewers, Joy Ni Ni Win, a digital marketing executive in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, said she heard about the film on TikTok.
“It piqued my interest to see – ‘Okay, why are people crying so much?'” Ms Joy, 28, said.
He quickly understood. After the film’s closing credits, his friend took him to the theater with tears running down his cheeks.
Diana Setiawati, who watched the film in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, said she thought about how she didn’t spend time with her mother. After the movie ended, he immediately called her.
“How to Make a Million Before Grandma Dies” is the first film for Mr. Pat, a self-taught filmmaker who previously worked in television. It was an unusual hit in Thailand, he said, where horror films and comedies usually dominate the box office. The film will be screened at the New York Asian Film Festival in July.
The film is based on a script by Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, an established screenwriter. Mr. Pat expanded, drawing on his own experience. His maternal grandmother, now 92, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer 20 years ago. He helped raise her, and they still live together. He also added another character, who is based on Canton’s mother’s family, describing the representation as “equal, even dialogue.”
They resonate with viewers like Shirley Low, who is the chief marketing officer of Golden Screen Cinemas in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
“Everyone was like: ‘Oh my God, this is like my family,'” he said, adding that his company didn’t expect the film to be a big hit because it was in Thai.
“There’s no way we could have predicted that conversation,” he said.
In Manila, Ruby Ann O. Reyes, vice president for corporate marketing for SM Supermalls, said the movie theaters are really distributing their network to moviegoers. Employees were also in the theater to hand out more tissues during the “tear-jerker part”.
“Filipinos like to have real lessons from every movie they watch, like taking care of your grandmother and being thankful while you’re alive,” said Ms. Reyes.
Ian Jeevan, 27, a financial consultant in Singapore, said the film reminded him of his relationship with his grandmother. She uploaded a TikTok video of her choking, with the caption: “Run and hug my grandma now!!”
Muktita Suhartono and Rin Hindryati contribute reports.
