Film No. 80 (2015) 99 Homes. 11th November.

Film No. 80 (2015) November 11th.  6.30 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge. 

"You just got to ask yourself, what did I do wrong that works out that your family ends up living in a motel?" (Real Estate Agent Rick delivers one of his many snippets of advice to his new recruit Dennis).

 

 

99 Homes is not an easy film to watch. It is downright uncomfortable to endure because of the nature of its subject matter. Listening to many of the cinema goers who saw Homes with me, the common thread of their reaction went something like, "I could have done without that". Watching people lose there homes during the recent GFC (2007/08) will do that to you.

 

Given those reservations, rather than criticisms, 99 Homes is an extremely well paced film. Its subject matter built an anxiousness within me that I rarely feel because this journey shows the repercussions  which we all felt and continue to feel in some way. The GFC had its beginnings in the housing belts portrayed in 99 Homes. It's raw and we meet the people on the front line of this strive to survive world.

 

Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) is a carpenter working for a building contractor. The building world collapses as major financial institutions collapse. The work dries up and so does his income, morgage payments aren't met, so eviction proceedings take place on his family home. He, along with his mum (Laura Dern) and young son are homelass. Nash decrees that he will do what it takes to get his home back, as Real Estate broker Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) does deals with the overseeing bank. The "what it takes" notion becomes the key to the drama as Nash falls under the spell of Carver.

 

There are no twists in 99 Homes. We know where it is headed. The cast is perfectly aligned and the rhythm of their words suits the pace of the film perfectly. A couple of moments don't add up but convenience is essential to a part of this film. More importantly for me this film is a reminder of what could easily have been avoided if there was less corruption in our world. Unfortunately the Rick Carver's on our landscape will always exist but more unfortunately they exist in higher places than where he is depicted in this racy, effective film.  9GUMS