http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0768837/
*Spoilers*
The film centers around a Singaporian working class family who have dreams of living a better life. You got a mom, dad, worthless brother and hard working married daughter. The dad clips out of the newspaper clippings that depict swimming pools, flashy cars and the like as well as purchases lottery tickets in the hopes of striking it big. Mom's an old school homemaker who isn't sure of her role in her children's lives, but loves them anyway.
The brother just got back from the U.S. after attending school for an IT degree(and not finishing), but has been bumming money off of his parents for years. The brother's girlfriend also has been loaning him money and patiently waiting for him to marry her. And the daughter is pregnant and married, working hard just to stay afloat. She feels neglected by her parents, who fawn over the brother and worries about her husband's insurance selling job not working out. The daughter is also an overworked and underappreciated secretary. They worry about money every day. Then the dad does the impossible and wins the lottery. After that, everything begins to unravel. The whole family is so concerned with saving face and keeping pace that it's only sad.
*End spoilers*
The film touches on many themes that are universal to all human beings everywhere. For one, it talks about how the pursuit of materialism hurts otherwise stable families who feel like they have to keep up with the Joneses to survive, instead of being happy with what they have. Also, it dealt with people who floss (this can be anyone of any race living in any neighborhood, folks). What I mean by flossing is folks who are more concerned about looking good right now with the nice car, expensive clothes and the outward trappings of success than they are of preparing for the future financially. You see this when members of the family spend more than what they have on a funeral in order to put the deceased away nicely, or the dropout son buying an expensive car, or even the dad getting 5 credit cards before making sure that the lottery money is in his account.
This film reminds us about how money (or even the promise of it) can change people. It also makes us look hard at ourselves. What is really important, as we strive to become more than kids living in Mom's basement? Will our lives really be better with the house on the hill, the custom built Alienware computer, the celebrity significant other, the huge TV with HD DVD/Blue Ray and the money in the bank? Is it really worth trying to floss for people that we don't like, that don't give two craps about us if we don't look prosperous, who are terrible bores to talk to and who will forget our names in 10 minutes? Is the old adage really true "He who dies with the most toys wins", or is my sister's quip more accurate, "Even if you die with the most toys, you're still dead." Find this film and rent it. Or watch it on LinkTV. Or something.
