Millions

What does it profit a man if…

MILLIONS

Director: Danny Boyle

Cert. 12

Running time: 94 minutes

This is a quirky family movie based on a children’s book by Frank Cottrell Boyce, released in 2004, but now available on DVD.

It is set in a fictional time in Britain when the pound is about to be replaced by the euro. The backdrop to the story is that of two primary school aged brothers whose mother has recently died and whose father (played by James Nesbitt) has decided to move house in order to make a new start.

Bag of cash

When the younger boy, Damian (played by Alex Etel, famed for his part in the BBC’s Cranford), unexpectedly comes across a huge bag of cash in sterling, he thinks it is a gift from God and wants to use it benevolently. His brother has different ideas.

The film explores the different ways in which people, especially children, deal with bereavement. We are also invited to think about spirituality, in a folksy / Catholic-saints kind of way, and about attitudes to money, what it can and cannot do for you, especially in the face of death. There is one scene of soft drug use.

For discussion

This would be a good DVD for a family film night to stimulate discussion and provide an opportunity for parents to pick up on a number of vital areas with their children.