Foreclosure Scam Exposed in 99 HOMES - Venice Film Festival

Andrew Garfield in 99 HOMES

(Venice, Italy) An average American family is thrown ruthlessly out of their home in Orlando, Florida at the start of Ramin Bahrani's powerful foreclosure drama, 99 HOMES. It was no accident that so many Americans suddenly lost their homes -- it was outright corruption, another scheme by the greedy to make money off human misery, which comes as no surprise. But it is extremely satisfying to watch how the vultures did it up there on the big screen.

At the press conference, Bahrani was asked if he set the film in Orlando, Florida on purpose, and he said, "of course I did." He went down there to do research, and after two or three weeks, he was dizzy from the corruption. He said, "I never saw so many guns in my life."

Andrew Garfield, Ramin Bahrani & Michael Shannon

Here is the DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:

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 the firing squad, does a man join hands with his executioner? Is there any choice to make other than a deal with the devil?

Andrew Garfield & Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon is one of my favorite actors; he always manages to bring a layer of humanity to the most unsavory characters. He plays Rick Carver, a heartless estate agent who represents the banks, tossing people and their possessions out on the street the moment the moment a judge -- who is also part of the corrupt pyramid -- signs the order. In Florida, the judgment speeds by so fast that they call them "Rocket Dockets."

Andrew Garfield is Dennis Nash, a hard-working single dad who can do most any job in construction. He lives with his widowed mother (Laura Dern) and son (Noah Lomax) in the simple Orlando home where he grew up. When the building market collapses and he loses his work, he is told by the bank not to make a payment; he misses three, and the next thing he knows, he, his mother and his son are crammed into a cheap motel, surrounded by other evicted families.

99 HOMES has gotten positive reviews all around.

The Guardian:

Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon flog the foundations of America - Ramin Bahrani delivers a muscular, complex drama about real-estate – and false promises – in a land of dreams and bankruptcy

Variety: 

Michael Shannon and Andrew Garfield deliver dynamic performances in Ramin Bahrani's furious study of corrupt One Percent privilege.

The Hollywood Reporter:

A hard-hitting look at America's economic divide

 The Telegraph:

Andrew Garfield leaves Spider-Man far behind in this timely, gut-twisting tale of the U.S. real estate crisis

Ramin Bahrani said that honest hard work does not get you anywhere these days, but that can change. "More powerful than money, is art."

Ciao from the Venice Film Festival,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog