The Giving (1993)

Genres - Drama  |   Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Sandra Brennan

A well-meaning, liberal yuppie charity junkie gets his comeuppance when he sacrifices it all trying to prove his sincerity to a homeless man in this earnest, nearly surreal and apparently socially conscious drama. The yuppie is Jeremiah Pollock and works as a computer programmer working for a bank in Los Angeles. He designed a revolutionary ATM machine and as a result makes over a million a year, drives a BMW, and has many cushy perks. He thinks of himself as a giving sort and spends much of his fortune on lavish charity benefits. It is during one such gala that Jeremiah encounters Gregor, a transient who with his band of street vagrants are trying to crash the gates. A struggle between the homeless and the guards ensues and Jeremiah intervenes. It is then that Gregor questions the real motives behind Jeremiah's generosity, calling him a hypocrite and one who only gives to ease his guilt at having so much more than others. Jeremiah is wounded by the remarks and decides to really prove his sincerity by first going on a hunger strike and then manipulating his bank ATM system to help Gregor and his group easily get the money they need to set up an urban farm for the homeless and help other needy folks. Unfortunately, his employers do not appreciate Jerimaiah's generosity with their money and soon the young programmer finds himself destitute and in mortal danger.

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Keywords

accusation, charity, computer-programmer, death, guilt, homelessness, hunger-strike, leader, physical-abuse, poverty, relationship, wealth, yuppies, bank, group, loot, maniac, time, urban