WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Desperation. When it comes, it can hit like freight train, potentially causing even the most stalwart person to act and make decisions without truly thinking them through completely. This can be especially true when it comes to home and family. And then there are those who take advantage of that suffering for either their own gain, or to draw desperate people into their web. Denis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is one such desperate individual who, after losing his family’s home where he grew up and currently lives with his mother Lynn (Laura Dern) and son Conor (Noah Lomax) to foreclosure, is set on gaining the residence back from the bank and the cold-hearted real estate broker who evicted them, Rick Carver (Michael Shannon).
Forced to move into a shabby hotel, Denis’ search for answers and income causes more and more frustration and doubt, the least possible scenario occurs–working for Carver’s real estate agency. With background in construction and all its aspects, Denis finds opportunity through Carver and his sizable foreclosure property holdings to utilize his skills and begin earning more money than he ever has, but also finds that he must keep his employment hidden from Lynn and Noah. Soon, Denis is immersed in a dangerous world of swindling the banks and the government, while ultimately having to be a part of serving evictions–exactly what happened to him. As his conscious begins to weigh on him, Denis has to make the choice between money and family.
Next, my Mind:
Just being fair, indie drams like this are a dime a dozen, and as a whole, originality is hard to come by in major motion pictures anymore. That said, it is up to all involved to make the movie stand out in some way to achieve the needed separation from the pack. Writer/director/producer Ramin Bahrani’s “99 Homes” , while thematically nothing “new” in itself, manages to rise up specifically on the backs of its two lead actors. Garfield presents Denis as a realistically normal, down-to-earth man stuck in circumstances dire and out of his control or understanding. There’s a sincere earnestness in the performance, as you feel you could relate to the actions he takes, and watching him get swept up in those decisions is powerfully portrayed.
Likewise, the ever-charismatic Shannon is perfect to play Carver, as he just has this excellent ability to make an already unscrupulous character even more so, with sly grins, intensely angry resolve, and most certainly entices the viewer to completely despise this unethical person he’s playing. And the two of them together really play off each other fantastically. The story also paints the ugly realities of foreclosure, those affected by it, and those who would seek to do nothing more than unethically make their own profit from other people’s misery, all while trying to hide their shady dealings under the veneer of legitimacy. Heavy language abounds (just a warning), the endgame is no surprise, but overall, “99 Homes” is a taut, committed drama that deserves a look.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
