“How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” is a sweet, sad and sentimental Thai end-of-life melodrama titled and set-up like a greedy-family farce.

A lazy, online gamer grandson (Putthipong Assaratanakul) sees an enterprising, mercenary cousin (Tontawan Tantivejakul) care for an elderly uncle, and “move to the top” of that uncle’s most-beloved-relative list and the top of his will. She inherits his house.

With his grandmother (Usha Seamkhum) freshly-diagnosed with cancer, “M” as the kid is called ingratiates himself with her, imposes his “help” on her life and even moves in to take care of Amah, who hasn’t been told her diagnosis.

“You took care of me when I was little,” he tells her (in Thai with English subtitles). “Now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

As the old woman favors her neglectful day-trader oldest son (Sanya Kunakorn) and indulges or at least tolerates her mooching, deadbeat younger son (Ponsatorn Jonwilas), while dismissing her devoted daughter, M’s mother (Sarinat Thomas), this seems like a canny way to corner the market on her affections and her estate.

But cousin Mui has let something profound slip into her tutelage of M’s scheme. As the kid poor-mouths this uncle or that one, Mui wonders if he thinks of “Amah as an asset.” He does. But that’s missing the point.

“What old people really want is ‘time,’” something her children, save for her struggling single-mom daughter (Thomas), don’t seem to have for her.

M eventually takes that to heart, even if we and granny fret over his motives and his honesty all along the way.

“Your grandson is not some kind of grandTHIEF! A scammer!”

Director and co-writer Pat Boonnitipat’s debut feature — he’s filmed some episodic Thai TV — borrows plot points and tone from “The Farewell.” But he then gently upends expectations in a film that immerses us in Thai life, Thai burial traditions and Thai superstitions as we meet people and see a slice of the country that’s wholly removed from “tourist” Thailand.

We get a taste of Amah’s routine — she’s cooked and run a congee shop most of her life — and rituals, the “goddess” she prays to, the shrine she turns a family burial place into.

And we see M evolve from predatory to understanding — well to “less predatory” and “more understanding” at least. Cash is cash, after all.

Boonnitipat gently sets-up scenes that might play for laughs — Uncle Kiang (Kunakorn) suspects M’s motives and tries to take Amah in, using his wife and wee daughter Rainbow to charm her and seal the deal — but plays them mostly straight and sober. M may scheme and counter-scheme here, but the idea is that he “grows” as a person and comes to really “see” his grandmother.

As things don’t go according to anybody’s plan, and even the “surprise” at the end turns in on itself, the universal message of “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” wistfully lines up with John Prine’s classic tune, “Hello in There” and Mui’s one useful lesson to M.

“What old people want is really (YOUR) time.”

Rating: unrated, PGish

Cast: Putthipong Assaratanakul, Usha Seamkhum, Sanya Kunakorn, Sarinat Thomas, Pongsatorn Jongwilas and Tontawan Tantivejakul

Credits: Directed by Pat Boonnitipat, scripted by Pat Boonnitipat and Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn. A Well Go USA release.

Running time: 2:05