With just enough macabre smirks to not end up a tearjerker, Pat Boonnitipat looks from a personal perspective at rivalry and reconciliation among parents, siblings and children
Other than in Cannes, Venice or even Berlinale (whose record attendance rate has much to do with the sheer mass of participating movie theatres, films and screenings) in Tallinn during the Black Nights Film Festival there don’t seem to be many packed cinema halls. One of them was that of Pat Boonnitipat’s dedicated directorial debut, seemingly setting out to repeat its success in Asia. There it became the highest grossing Thai production ever in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia among others. So the director won’t have to resort to the scheme of his young protagonist who dotes on his ailing grandma, vexing for a substantial inheritance.
Predictably he is not the only relative with his eyes on the house his grandma Menju (Usha Seamkhum) still lives in all by herself. His hardworking mother Sew (Sarinrat Thomas) and her brothers, deadbeat drunk Soei (Pongsatorn Jongwilas) and overeager stock trader Kiang (Sanya Kunakurn) with wife and little daughter in tow suddenly shower their neglected mother with attention. Though she is the last one to be informed about her terminal cancer diagnosis, the sprightly and stubborn elderly is well aware that her family cares more for her relative wealth than her wellbeing. A fact not only M gets to experience at first.
Of course, neither Boonnitipat who based the sentimental story on personal experiences, nor his co-writer Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn are so ruthless and realistic as to not have her warm over time to her grandson’s increasingly sincere commitment. Conversely, the main character gradually sheds his indifference and reluctance, rekindling a close connection lost over the years. At the core of the original outline lies a time-tested trope, revived by careful combination of gentle humour and sentimentality. The latter is slightly overplayed in the final chapter but the sincere performances, especially by Seamkhum and Thomas, and well-rounded characters carry the tragicomical plot through to the literal end.
While it comes off as both a bit too contrived and calculated, it still speaks of the narrative’s nuanced view of family relations. While Meju’s grown kids and grandson first appear rather greedy and callous, small moments reveal how the inheritance doesn’t simply present financial gain but a proof of affection of which none of the siblings feel too sure. Though the milieu is – as almost always in any movie – once again middle class, there is at least a hint of the realisation that economic strain can force people to be cold and competitive in family affairs. More of this realism would benefit Boonnitipat’s next picture.
- OT: Lahn mah
- Director: Pat Boonnitipat
- Screenplay: Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, Pat Boonnitipat
- Year: 2024
- Distribution | Production © GDH 559
