For Richer, for Poorer 1992

On a high bridge, Aram Katourian stands at the edge, wrestling with the impulse to end his life as a city breeze brushes by. A homeless woman, Billie, notices him and interrupts the moment, drawn to the gravity of a life about to be lost. Instead of a leap, Aram chooses to open up and share the entire arc of his life, inviting Billie to listen as he revisits the choices that led him to this point.

Aram is a self-made businessman who built a chain of twelve stores and earns an impressive annual income. He married his keenly ambitious high school sweetheart, Millie Katourian, and together they raise a son, Michael Katourian. While he keeps an eye on his staff, he also maintains a secret life with his mistress, Irene, a detail that gnaws at him as he contemplates what truly matters.

As he watches Michael drift toward a carefree, money-soaked existence, Aram decides to liquidate his wealth and give his money away to strangers on the street. He’s buoyed by Michael’s words about their future, only to discover that Michael’s assurance was more about believing his father would land another job than about any real stabil ity for the family.

Millie, unable to sit idly by, takes on work as a housekeeper to help make ends meet. Aram attempts to shoulder some tasks himself, but Michael quits his own job after a brief, heated clash with his boss. Aram hopes to motivate his son to contribute meaningfully, but a new idea emerges: father and son will partner to create travel videos, blending Michael’s love of luxury travel with Aram’s business sense. Yet Aram soon learns that the travel-video space isn’t exactly untapped—there are already players in the market.

Facing dwindling options, Aram engineers a deliberate car accident to force Michael to confront responsibility. The plan backfires in part when Michael becomes engaged to a wealthy, moneyed former flame who has inherited a fortune, a development that unsettles Aram but also reveals something about Michael’s own values.

Aram’s guilt about his scheme drives a confrontation with his son, culminating in Michael being told to leave. With the son gone, Millie forges ahead as a maid, while Aram records a confession: his financial ruin was staged to spur a change. He then returns to the bridge, where Billie’s steady optimism rekindles his will to live. She explains that she, too, has benefited from some of the money he gave away, and their encounter ends with a quiet, hopeful separation rather than a final verdict on their fates.

Two years pass, and Millie has become a bakery owner, still wary of Aram’s past actions. She reveals that she never took any of Michael’s money and, learning of the deeper entanglements, teamed up with Irene to open their own shop. Aram, seeking to repair what he broke, suggests a formal end to the marriage, though Millie remains cautious about what the future holds.

In the months that follow, Aram discovers that Michael has recently gone through a divorce, though the settlement leaves him with substantial funds. Michael chooses to work as a waiter, embracing a more honest, grounded life. At first, Aram is struck by the contrast to his earlier ambitions and even feels a mix of disgust and pride, recognizing that his son’s choices reflect a different kind of strength. By the end, the family begins to find a new balance, with Aram stepping in to help manage Michael’s settlement money and, in doing so, quietly repairing the bonds that nearly unraveled.

Throughout this journey, the film threads themes of wealth, responsibility, reconciliation, and the transformative power of genuine human connection, all seen through Aram’s evolving perspective as he moves from a grand, impulsive plan to a more grounded, care-filled approach to his family’s future.