Bahrani revealed his favorite exchange in the script,
which poses the question for all of us:
“Is it worth it?"
"As opposed to what?!”
In the Q&A with Variety's Jenelle Riley, Bahrani was
asked about his process for the this film, which examines Florida's housing crash, through a poignant telling of
two men’s moral dilemma. “I look for
material that has a powerful social message," said Bahrani. In this movie,
he takes the viewer into this world of stark contrasts.
Bahrani noted he went to Florida and researched the "rocket
docket" court, along with meeting with real estate brokers who made a
living picking up foreclosures from banks.
He also met with some of the 5 million evicted tenants, some of whom
even appear in the movie as the displaced homeowners, to bring authenticity and
real improvisation to the scenes. “I
visited the hotels where these displaced families ended up living, literally
down the road - via Highway 142 - from Disney World." Actors worked from
the script, but each take was different because the actors were not sure what
the non-actors would bring.
In the realtor-turned-foreclosure-flipper role, Michael
Shannon personifies the moral compass driven by success and greed. His multidimensional portrayal is of a man
that has come from poverty and is determined to not be a loser. “We both have
the same agency," noted Shannon of Bahrani, "and Werner Herzog had
worked with Bahrani on his film and brought us together at the Venice Film
Festival." Initially, Michael explained,
“he was not what Bahrani was looking for in the lead.” However, later in the interview, Bahrani
noted that after seeing some of Shannon’s work, he actually rewrote the script
to have it more effectively represent Michael’s approach.
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| Ramin Bahrani and Michael Shannon |
99 Homes takes you into the world of these transformed
gun-toting brokers, intersected with unemployed homeowners, led by the
emotionally charged performances of Andrew Garfield and Laura Dern. Garfield
and Shannon demonstrate the intense struggle to protect the life they had made
for their families, and how far they would go to preserve it.
It was something to sit back and watch these two act off
each other, noted Bahrani. The
director’s job, he said, "is to cast well, and you shouldn’t need to say
anything, but just let them act.” For
Shannon, “I work hard, with preparation, truth, and respect. Then I trust [that the director] makes sure
it is good.” Bahrani put in the
pre-work, and it is evident.
In this most timely reflection on what has put our
country in the throes of the economic and political choices we currently are
facing, Bahrani continues to push for conscientious discussion. “I don’t know
why people have to know everything in the end.
I’d rather people walk away and talk about it. " Dedicated to his mentor Roger Ebert, you won’t
be disappointed but you will go away talking.
99 Homes is in theaters now.