99 Homes is a searing, impeccably acted indictment of capitalism, especially as it functions in present-day American real estate. The film focuses on Florida construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), who has fallen irretrievably behind on his mortgage payments. Desperate to keep the home he shares with his mother and son, his last-ditch attempt with the court system fails, and the family is tossed out by a fast-talking bank representative named Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). In a surprising turn of events, Nash finds himself accepting a job as one of Carver’s flunkies and thus enters a morass of moral ambiguity.
Bahrani (Goodbye Solo, Man Push Cart) creates a timely and gripping modern reimagining of the Faustian bargain, demonstrating the lengths someone will go to in order to become a “have”. Shannon is unforgettable as the slick, satanic
Carver, while Garfield does the most complex work of his career as Nash, a simple man in terrible danger of losing everything he claims to be fighting for.
Rod Armstrong
Abu Dhabi Film Festival
Please note that the festival is for over 18s only
