What do you get if you put Spider-Man and General Zod in a movie together? Lots and lots of swearing – according to the clip from 99 Homes that was just released. That hard-hitting dialogue is indicative of the tone of the film, which is the latest directorial effort from Ramin Bahrani (At Any Price). Starring Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man), Michael Shannon (Man Of Steel) and Laura Dern (The Fault In Our Stars), 99 Homes takes a swipe at the current global economic climate, through the crisis experienced by one family.
Written by Bahrani with Amir Nederi (Manhattan By Numbers) and Bahareh Azimi (Goodbye Solo), 99 Homes addresses the idea of the 99% versus the wealthiest of society, by pitching an everyday guy against a cold corporate entity. In what seems to be a tale of the will to survive, it asks the question, how far would you go to save yourself and those you love? The official synopsis is as follows:
“Around the world, everyone knows that honest hard work gets you nowhere. In sunny Orlando, Florida, construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is evicted from his home by charismatic, gun-toting real estate broker, Mike Carver (Michael Shannon), and is forced to move his mom (Laura Dern) and young son into a shabby motel. Then, an unexpected opportunity arises and Nash strikes a deal with the devil – he begins working for Carver in a desperate attempt to get his home back. Carver seduces Nash into a risky world of stealing from banks and the government. Nash makes big money; but there’s a cost. On Carver’s orders, Nash must evict honest families from their homes – just as it happened to him. With his conscience tearing him apart and an incredibly lucrative 1,000 home deal on the line, Nash will have to choose between destroying an honest man for the ultimate win, or going against Carver and finding redemption.”
Director Bahrani adds:
“The 99% is a global phenomenon. The common man around the world can no longer do hard honest work and expect to thrive against systematic greed and corruption. When faced by a firing squad, does a man join hands with his executioner? Is there any choice to make, other than a deal with the devil?”
99 Homes does not yet have a release date or distributor, although that is expected to change once it hits the festival circuit, with screenings at Venice and Toronto in the coming weeks. You can watch the first official clip below.
