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it is totally unexpected that a family ethics film can actually cover some of today's most concerned social issues through a story of inheritance: empty-nest elderly, hospice care, shortage of medical resources, women's contribution to the family... the thai movie "grandma's grandson" currently in theaters is not only thailand's annual box office champion so far, but also received a very high reputation of 9.0 on douban after it hit the domestic big screen.

although the above social issues concern almost everyone, it takes a lot of effort to present them well in film and television works. they are either easy to make the film look bitter and hateful, or easy to fall into a bloody plot. "grandma's grandson" took another path: telling the story in a down-to-earth manner with a simple method, not avoiding real problems, nor deliberately creating conflicts, and restoring life with various delicate and real details, which instead gained extremely moving power and extremely profound insights into society.

the film's story sounds high-concept: an, an unemployed young man from a chinese family in thailand, saw his cousin inherit a property for taking care of his seriously ill grandfather, and he also became interested in his terminally ill grandmother, planning to replicate his cousin's "road to wealth" to obtain a million-dollar inheritance. however, facing equally "hard-working" uncles and a picky and venomous grandmother, an's road to becoming a full-time filial grandson and "living off his grandmother to get rich" does not seem to be as smooth as expected...

the role of the grandmother is not only a lifelong dedication of east asian women to their families, but also a microcosm of the "difficulties of elderly care" in contemporary society. the hardworking and thrifty grandmother runs a porridge stall and gets up at five o'clock every day to do business. she has worked hard for her children all her life, but she still lives alone in her later years. the movie does not mention that the grandmother is lonely, but uses various details to make people feel the loneliness of empty-nest elderly people. every weekend, she sits at the door and watches, because that is the fixed day for the family to gather for dinner, but the children eat absent-mindedly and leave in a hurry without even having time to sit down and play cards. the grandmother sighed that she was most afraid of the first day after the spring festival, because there would be a refrigerator full of food left, and how could she finish it all by herself.

although she doesn't get much company, the grandmother's love for her children has never diminished. the shoes her eldest son gave her were too small, but she would rather pinch her feet to wear them; she helped her second daughter organize the refrigerator, fearing that she would get cancer like her if she ate too much leftovers; her youngest son was addicted to gambling and was heavily in debt, so she always used her own money to subsidize him... the film's presentation of family affection is full of oriental implicitness. family members never express love, but love and care are reflected through various behaviors. sometimes, love can even "twist" in awkward ways such as anger, quarrels, and lies, which makes people both moved and distressed. for example, the second daughter works the night shift at the supermarket at night, and accompanies her grandmother to see a doctor and do rehabilitation during the day. when she heard this, she immediately got angry and "ordered" her daughter to go back and rest.

as for the ownership of the inheritance, grandma herself has been in a state of hesitation and entanglement. the palms and backs of the hands are all flesh and blood. giving the house to anyone is not a small amount of money. whoever it is given to, the other person will have some thoughts in his mind. but grandma finally made the choice she thought was most appropriate. money may be just a concrete manifestation of love, but not giving money does not mean there is no love. the film begins with grandma sweeping the graves of her parents and ends with the family sweeping the graves of grandma. she has always wanted a "luxury" cemetery, not because of face or superstition, but because she feels that if the cemetery is more luxurious, the children will be more willing to come to sweep the graves, and they can get together more. this kind of motherly heart that still cares about her children even at the last moment of life is really moving, and it also reminds people of similar plots in hirokazu koreeda's "still walking".

by depicting the last days of my grandmother's life, the film shows the most real and helpless state of people when facing death. although birth, aging, illness and death are natural laws that no one can escape, when the footsteps of death are approaching, almost no one can resist the fear. my grandmother, who was usually in good health, suddenly fell down after falling ill. she would groan in pain because of the illness, call for her parents like a child, and sing the teochew nursery rhymes of her childhood in a coma... the audience who sees these scenes will be deeply sympathetic, and the importance of hospice care is therefore self-evident.

from the protagonist a'an, we see the common living conditions of contemporary young people. most of them grew up in good material conditions, but their spiritual world is confused and they don't know what to pursue. a'an just wants to find a high-paying and not tiring job, and finally chooses to "stay at home", hoping to become an internet celebrity game anchor one day. he took the initiative to apply to take care of his grandmother for money, but during this time with his grandmother, he felt and gave love, and also gained personal growth.

in the film, the interaction between the grandparents and grandchildren is both loving and interesting, full of differences and collisions between the two generations. young people value efficiency and actively embrace high technology and various new things. ah an uses a microwave to boil water and is unwilling to queue up to buy fried fish from a time-honored brand, but he can also use surveillance to ensure the safety of his grandmother. grandma attaches great importance to tradition and human touch. she firmly believes that there are top talents in all 360 professions, and as long as you work hard, you will reap rewards. it is difficult to judge the values ​​of two generations, and mutual respect and understanding are the way to get along.

in a family, asking for something in return may be more in line with economic principles and modern concepts, but true love does not require any conditions. regardless of whether ah an came for profit or pretended to be in love, his grandmother's love for him has not changed from the beginning. from the perspective of the younger generation, supporting the elderly is not for inheritance, but more out of love and responsibility. as the second daughter said in the film, giving is more reassuring than receiving.

source: beijing daily client

reporter: yuan yuner