Human Capital

Lastly is Drew’s daughter, Shannon. She doesn’t exactly have the greatest relationship with her father as she has little respect for him. She is dating Jamie (Fred Hechinger), Quint and Carrie’s son, but is developing feelings for Ian (Alex Wolff), a patient of her therapist step-mother. She falls hard for Ian, but things don’t go so well for Shannon. I did mention the hit-and-run accident earlier…right?

Human Capital is a fantastic study of people being pushed to their limits, not just financial, but emotional and social. This character study works primarily because of its first-rate cast. Liev Schreiber makes a 180-degree-turn from his usual tough-guy roles like Ray Donovan. He portrays Drew as a broken shell of a man, broken further by taking seemingly unethical steps to fund the investment.

“Director Meyers does fantastic work managing every performance and interaction…”

Then Marisa Tomei comes out swinging as the wife and mother willing to put up with a loveless marriage, and a complicated relationship with her son, to realize a personal dream and follow her passion. Maya Hawke goes even more complicated trying to be a healthy, normal person while making tough choices that would affect her current boyfriend Jamie and secret love interest Ian.

The supporting cast is just as brilliant. Peter Sarsgaard has the smarmy, condescending investor character down pat, and the almost unrecognizable Alex Wolff is relatable as the psychologically damaged Ian. Director Meyers does fantastic work managing every performance and interaction with the right pace keeping the drama interesting.

What I liked most about Moverman’s script is how “money” and the themes of money are played out in the background and choosing to focus more on the characters’ arc instead. The story also consists of three replays—one after the other. Each replay dives into the individual roles on the forefront all the while revealing important information leading up to the bike accident. While Human Capital has no supernatural he-was-dead-the-whole-time moments, you’re going to enjoy a series of excellent performances from its cast, ending in a light mystery solved.

Human Capital screened at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.