Top 200 Most Anticipated Films for 2014: #87. Ramin Bahrani’s 99 Homes

99 Homes

Director: Ramin Bahrani
Writers: Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi, Bahareh Azimi‐Khoie
Producer(s): Ashok Amritraj (see pic above), Ramin Bahrani, Andrew Garfield, Justin Nappi, Kevin Turen
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Laura Dern, Michael Shannon, Tim Guinee

At Any Price came from the same earnest place as Chop Shop and Goodbye Solo and Ramin Bahrani had the luxury of working with a bigger budget/name cast garnishings, but the end result was a poorly conceived and executed cornhusk melodrama. My thinking is that this portrait of Americana will include a bit more bite. Employing the services of cinematographer Bobby Bukowski, with thesps Laura Dern and Michael Shannon in the mix, it’s fair to say that we might reach some authentic dramatic heights with the curiously titled, 99 Homes.

Gist: Set against the backdrop of the economic crisis, the drama revolves around an unemployed contractor who gets evicted from his family home with his mother and his nine‐year old son. Desperate to get his home back, he strikes a deal to work for the powerful, greedy, charming, gun‐toting real estate broker (Shannon) who evicted him. While it puts a roof over his daughter’s head, becoming the broker’s apprentice puts the contractor in a moral bind: is having a home worth losing your values and soul?

Release Date: Production began back in November and we’re thinking this will once again hit the film festival circuit in the fall – with stops at Venice, Toronto and/or Telluride.

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