Friday afternoons are a sanctuary as they are my only chance to get a respite from the double whammy of working and parenting stresses. This afternoon, I spent it on watching “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”. Fun fact: I have not watched a movie in the theatre ever since my elder child was born. This from the man who used to win free movie tickets once a week.

Anyway, since I was blissfully isolated from the hype and frenzy surrounding this film, I actually thought this was going to be about the grandson undertaking some quick get-rich hustle so that he could fulfill some filial piety before his grandmother’s demise.

But nope, this was about the grandson trying to score brownie points with his grandmother so that she would bequeath her house to him. Taking care of her was his get-rich hustle.

Despite the grandson’s less-than-noble intentions, this film struck a chord within me. I am Teochew and recognised snippets of conversation even though I don’t speak my dialect. But more importantly, the director paints such a realistic picture of how money is inextricably interwoven with love in Asian families. It reminds me of the wisdom of the Chinese proverb: 家家有本难念的经。(Every family has skeletons in their closet.)

Throughout the process of taking care of her, the grandson is gradually reminded of his genuine affection for his grandma. Still, there’s no denying how hurt and wounded he felt when his grandmother willed her house to his uncle. The greed monster may fade away, but it inevitably taints and complicates love. Is love ever altruistic? Maybe the grandson isn’t so upset about the loss of a potential inheritance; he is distraught about his love being deemed less valuable.

This family ties business is complicated. Yet, the movie never feels too heavy, allowing you to absorb its unrelenting look at life without crushing you.

In the later part of the film, the grandmother was sent to a nursing home. Fighting back tears, the grandson tells her, “Let’s go home. I’ll make congee for you.”

In her dying moments, the grandson - fighting back tears again - sang the lullaby that his granny had sung to him in his childhood.

Simple, raw and tenderly poignant.