Drama isn’t one of my favorite genres, to be honest, as I prefer horror and adrenaline-packed films—like *Fast & Furious*—something that will jar my often half-awake brain. However, my curiosity often leads me to explore things worth exploring, whether it be a film, a place, or something else intriguing.
Let me begin by saying that this film has beautiful cinematography—very raw. What you see is what you get. I miss these kinds of films; it’s like watching life unfold as it happens. The old houses and those metal accordion gates felt very familiar, reminding me of my upbringing in Manila, where most businesses are owned by Filipino-Chinese families. It felt like home. Not many people know this, but Thai people are mostly of Chinese descent, and in a way, we share similarities in terms of culture and values. Like the Thai, we Filipinos have close-knit family ties and care deeply for our elders.
The film is about Meng Ju, an elderly woman battling stage 4 colon cancer. She has three children, all married with families of their own. At first, her children didn’t want her to know about her illness, possibly to prevent further stress. Her grandson, M (yes, that’s his name), a university dropout, quits his job to care for her because he expects to inherit her house after she passes, giving him a place to live. Meng learns about her cancer because M, believing she has the right to know, tells her the truth—a logical decision.
One day, Khiang, Meng’s eldest son, visits her to persuade her to sell the house and move in with him so he can take care of her and relieve M of his caregiving duties. M, afraid of losing the house he hopes to inherit, tries to convince her not to sell, citing its proximity to her congee stall as a reason.
Sew, M’s mother, supports her brother Khiang’s decision to sell their mother’s house. At first, I thought the story was heading toward a typical scenario in many Asian families: the children wanting to profit from their parents’ property, split the proceeds, and move on. But as the story unfolded, I realized that wasn't the case. Meng agreed to sell the house to help her son Soei, the black sheep of the family, who is drowning in 100M of debt. It seems no family dynamic is complete without a black sheep.
When M finds out that his uncle Soei will benefit from the sale despite never caring for their grandmother, he is furious. He confronts Meng, asking why his uncle, who did nothing, will get the money while he has been caring for her in her final days and will receive nothing. Meng is moved to tears.
Meng passes away, and M is deeply involved in the wake, no longer holding a grudge. He participates because he truly cared for her, not because he was after the inheritance. One day, M receives a phone call, possibly from a lawyer or someone handling Meng’s estate. The film doesn’t reveal the details of the call, but it leaves M in shock. There’s a flashback of a conversation between M and Meng when he was a child. After picking him up from school, Meng asked what his wish was. He said he wanted to win 100M in the lottery so he could buy her a new house. I assume M got his wish, it was later on revealed that Meng saved up 100M under M’s name. I remember Meng leaving a note in a shrine wishing to win 100M. And that’s how the film ends.
I won’t lie—this film was incredibly moving, and I had a lump in my throat the entire time I watched it. It will make you cry if this kind of story resonates with you. I didn’t cry, maybe because I’ve never been in a similar situation, but I completely understand why Meng did what she did by risking her money for her prodigal son, Soei.
I’d like to share that it’s common in family dynamics to have one member who often loses their way. For example, in my family, my eldest sister was the most stubborn and difficult since her adolescent years. My parents devoted so much time trying to fix her, showering her with everything she wanted, but it didn’t help. My two other siblings and I grew close because we learned to be independent while our parents focused on my eldest sister, especially my mom. When I became an adult, I learned why my parents did what they did. My mom explained that a person will never understand the struggles of being a parent until they become one. Watching this film, I thought about that and realized it’s true: the black sheep often gets the reward, not because they worked hard for it, but because parents want to give the best to the child who needs it the most.
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