The Palm Springs Film Fest is back and better than ever in 2025, as the festival truly hit a hat trick with three tearjerkers in a row for this Collider writer. The festival’s first film wasa special screening ofA Real Pain, which I am kicking myself for not having seen earlier, as it could very well be the best film I’ve seen all year. Then,PSIFF 2025 officially opened withBetter Man, and yes, a movie that stars an ape asRobbie Williamsis somehow one of the most intense movies of last year. Just when I thought things couldn’t get more emotional, I sawHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesis the feature directorial debut ofPat Boonnitipat, and already Boonnitipat has proven himself as a rising star worthy of being watched. At first glance,How to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesappears to be very reminiscent of other dramedies addressing impending death, most notably 2019’sThe Farewell. However, the longerHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Diescontinues, the more it starts to becomea distinctly beautiful coming-of-age tale that examines the harsh reality of deathin a way most films simply can’t or won’t.
What Is ‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ About?
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesprimarily tells the story of M (Putthipong Assaratanakul) - a bratty, lazy, disrespectful college dropout who has chosen to spend his life as a failing live-streamer instead of a productive member of society. That’s until M’s relatively estranged grandmother (Usha Seamkhum) is given a terminal cancer diagnosis. As a hair-brained scheme to get out of his financial rut and move out of his mother’s (Sarinrat Thomas) house, M decides to spend as much time with his grandmother as possible so he can put himself in her good favor and inherit her possessions and wealth. Surprisingly, not only does M reforge his familial bond with his grandmother, but he also realizes that he’s not the only member of his family who has desires to manipulate their matriarch.
M first gets this idea from his friend, Mui (Tontawan Tantivejakul), who works as a hospice nurse for her own relative at the start of the film. This is whereHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Dieshas one of its few missteps. Apart from an admittedly impactful revelation from Mui in the third act, Mui’s role as a pseudo-romantic interest for M feels out of place, and not only because M and Mui are literal cousins in the film. Perhaps this was the film’s way of further showcasing M’s immaturity, butmany of these sequences with Mui didn’t add too much to the overall experience.
Pat Boonnitipat’s Feature Debut Delivers Immaculate Characters and Performances
Thankfully, the bulk of the screentime is rightfully given to M and his grandmother, whose chemistry is off the charts in the film. Putthipong Assaratanakul does a marvelous job of making you hate his guts one second and feel profound empathy for him the next, though it’s Usha Seamkhum who really makes one ask “Where have you been?“This is Seamkhum’s first IMDb-credited role, which is truly astounding, as she injects a genuine authenticity that even the most renowned Oscar-winning stars have difficulty mastering. One scene in particular really drives home that thesis and might just be the most heartbreaking performance of 2024.
In addition to Putthipong Assaratanakul and Usha Seamkhum, the supporting cast ofHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesis also remarkable. This primarily includes M’s mother and his two uncles, Kiang (Sanya Kunakorn) and Soei (Pongsatorn Jongwilas). You may notice that M’s mother isn’t referred to by name, and that’s another stroke of brilliance from Pat Boonnitipat’s screenplay that he co-wrote withThodsapon Thiptinnakorn. Uncle Kiang and Unle Soei could certainly be considered the antagonists ofHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, but they’re still portrayed as authentic people with terrestrial problems as opposed to mustache-twirling villains. Even Tontawan Tantivejakul’s performance is great despite Mui’s shortcomings as a character.
The film’s home country of Thailand could also absolutely be considered a character in its own right. Pat Boonnitipat and cinematographerBoonyanuch Kraithongtake the audience on a flawlessly vibrant tour of the country’s city and landscapes, with there not being a single shot where the beautiful environments falter. Regardless of the subject being an affluent hotel or a crowded medical ward, the film’s visuals are as beautiful as its tale is profound.
‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Refuses to Sanitize Death
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies' sharp wit and sense of humor easily makes it classifiable as a comedy, but there’s of course a real sadness that is almost omnipresent throughout the film. With a title like that, it doesn’t take a lot to figure out how the film ends, but where many films would attempt to rush one to move on from tragedy,How to Make Millionsdoes something much more profound.The climax of the movie is fraught with tragedy, pain, and eventually the inevitable, and instead of portraying these events as if the central characters are fully prepared for their fate, the film makes it abundantly clear that it is okay to not be okay.
Its genuinely difficult to think of a better feature debut in recent memory thanHow to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. This being the first movie of Pat Boonnitipat and Usha Seamkhum is genuinely remarkable, and they are the real breakout stars of a movie that, in any case, soars with a heartfelt story, profound characters, and a beautiful setting. Despite being polar opposite themes,How to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesis a wonderful film that is just as much about growing up as it is about slowing down - something that anyone of any age from any part of the world can understand and empathize with. It’s a film that is more than worthy of being recognized asone of the best films of 2024.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Diesis available to rent or buy in the U.S. on VOD now.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ will make you laugh, cry, and cherish the moments you have with your loved ones while you have them.
