Human Capital

Upon reflection on this idea of “becoming an adult,” the phrase “financial freedom” was thrown around when choosing my college degree, starting a career, getting married, having kids, and inching my way to retirement. The road is long, and I haven’t yet arrived. But I did have a lot of shortcuts presented that I wish I didn’t take. Director Marc Meyers and writer Oren Moverman ask a few of these questions about money, security, and freedom in their film Human Capital—based on the 2004 Stephen Amidon novel.

Boasting an incredible cast, Human Capital intertwines the stories of two families following the events of a hit-and-run car accident killing an unsuspecting cyclist. Human Capital tells three consecutive stories from three distinct points-of-view of its lead characters.

“…intertwines the stories of two families following the events of a hit-and-run car accident…”

First, Drew (Liev Schreiber) is a real estate agent, whose girlfriend tells him she’s pregnant and adding to the pressing, trying to pay for his daughter Shannon’s (Maya Hawke) college tuition. In desperate need of a quick financial burst, he talks his way into mortgaging his home and investing it into a hedge fund run by Quint Manning (Peter Sarsgaard). Things don’t go so well for Drew.

Then there’s Quint’s wife, Carrie (Marisa Tomei), who wants to use the family’s wealth to save an old, ornate theater in hopes of bringing the dramatic arts back to the community. The project is expensive, and Quint agrees in order to hold what’s left of the family together.  Her theatrical dreams flourish with the help of her newly hired Creative Director, but things don’t go so well for Carrie.