Nepotism plays a huge role in film industries across the world. While having a famous mother or father might allow you to jump the queue, it can also mean that you are forever stuck in their shadow. Even with this kind of head start, making a film is hard. One of the biggest problems is financing. Then, there’s the producer who is likely to try and take advantage of your inexperience, and a cast who can be anywhere between awkward to hostile. The Burmese film world has its own unique perils as we discover in Money Has Four Legs.
Wai Bhone’s (Okkar Dat Khe) first feature isn’t quite going as well as the young director had hoped. The cash-strapped production is struggling to stay within budget, while the producer wants him to make several changes to the script in order to comply with the country’s strict censorship laws. Not to mention the bills that need to be paid, as his wife (Khin Khin Hsu) frequently reminds him. At the end of his tether, with the help of his drunken brother-in-law he concocts a plan to solve all their woes.
Money Has Four Legs is a lively comedy of errors which takes aim at a number of issues prevalent within the Burmese film industry. Paying homage to his country’s rich history of cinema, Maung Sun’s film debut is a lively adventure which sees the funny side in every setback. While it’s consistently good fun, it does tackle a number of wider societal problems in the course of Wai Bhone’s Kafkaesque quest. Money Has Four Legs is an entertaining and amusing romp.
Money Has Four Legs screens at London Film Festival.
