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From '99 Homes' To 'The Big Short', It Seems Film Makers Are Ready To Focus On Finance

Film Makers Finally Ready To Focus On Finance
The Huffington Post UK
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A film about finance could sound like a hard sell.

READ MORE:

The Big Short Director Tells HuffPostUK: 'This Was A Predatory, Money Lending Machine'

Whether it's often baffling subject matter or a general public loathing of all forms of banking, successful films exploring this world have been few and far between.

However, it seems the time has come when directors, writers, producers all feel ready to look at how the world's coffers took such a devastating dip in 2007, now the economic dust has settled, for the time being, in Europe and the USA.

With the release of director Ramin Bahrani’s critically acclaimed yet harrowing depiction of the US housing crisis in '99 Homes' and the Oscar-tipped 'The Big Short', the world has become a little more enlightened to the corruption, incompetence and inculpability of the financial crisis, with these recent films highlighting both the losers and surprising winners of this episode in recent history...

The Financial Crisis On Film
The Big Short (2015)(01 of04)
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'The Big Short' is receiving substantial critical praise at the moment for its tongue-in-cheek depiction of the catastrophic financial meltdown in 2008. When four outsiders predict the collapse of the US housing market before the media, government, and importantly, the banks, this group of dissociated financial geeks learn that the entire market is being propped up by worthless loans that are all but guaranteed to fail. The result? A ticking money bomb waiting to explode and destroy the prosperity of the global economy. Having this foresight ahead of the rest of the world, these outsiders capitalise and essentially bet against the US housing market before it blows up, securing healthy rewards for themselves and their investors. But at what moral cost? It’s a depressing topic, brought to life with intelligent wit by director Adam McKay.
99 Homes (2015)(02 of04)
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If 'The Big Short' shows us what happened, '99 Homes' shows the devastating results. The film follows the struggle of young construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), evicted from his family home after struggling to pay his inflated mortgage bills. In an effort to win back his livelihood and provide a stable future for his young son, Nash strikes a deal with the devil himself and joins forces with corrupt real estate broker Rick Carver (Michael Shannon), the man who originally evicted his family in the first place. Nash is not alone in his plight though. As he learns the trade of a real estate broker, he is forced to make compromising decisions to foreclose the homes of his neighbours in order to build up the money he needs to buy his home back from the bank. '99 Homes' delves deep into the lives of the working class in America, who became badly burned by the banking establishments, who sold them worthless and uncalculated loans that ultimately led to a national housing and economic crisis.
Margin Call (2011)(03 of04)
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At the opposite end of the spectrum, 'Margin Call' follows what happens when a respected financial company suddenly lays off 80% of its staff. Fired head of division Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) gathers the help of his protégé Peter Sullivan (Zacary Quinto) to help complete a highly secretive project that highlights the company's imminent financial doom. Realising that the volatility in the firm’s portfolio of mortgage backed securities are about to exceed historic levels (i.e. they are becoming worthless), this young broker feeds this information upwards to head brokers and CEO John Tuld (Jeremy Irons). It is up to John to make the “Margin Call” which essentially means his company dumping these worthless assets before the word spreads that they have no value, thus betraying all their clients and saving the financial future of his business. 'Margin Call' presents the final 48 hours of “good times” on Wall Street and the sees in the dawn of the global economic recession.
Inside Job (2010)(04 of04)
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Documentary 'Inside Job' was one of the first feature-length analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which led to millions of people losing their jobs, homes and livelihoods in the worst global recession since the Great Depression. Through in-depth interviews with financial insiders, politicians, academics and journalists, 'Inside Job' delves deep into the corruption of a rogue industry that contributed directly to global financial collapse.

'99 Homes' is available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD now. 'The Big Short' is in UK cinemas.

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