Suburban Wildlife

When Suburbia Cracks, the Wildlife Comes Out When the Great Recession sweeps through Marin County, real estate agent Tom Feather has five days to sell two houses or face bankruptcy and the loss of his home. To keep up appearances, Tom makes a reckless attempt to capture a wild turkey for Thanksgiving—a foolish effort that exposes how far he's willing to go to preserve the illusion of stability. When his wife Amy and their children discover his deception, Tom and Amy are forced out of their comfort zones and into the modest home of their immigrant gardener for an improvised holiday meal. There, the Feathers sees how a family living under immense pressure—the threat of deportation—manages to carry on with love, grace, and humility. By the end of the evening, Tom and Amy's discomfort gives way to admiration and an unexpected bond. A fragile hope arrives when Tom signs a deal to sell his house to an anonymous company that will allow his family to remain in their home as renters. But the relief doesn't last. He soon learns the company has left a trail of homeless sellers, and the FBI is investigating real-estate scams that may place him squarely in their sights. With his future—and his family's—on the line, Tom, Amy, and their loyal friend Joel launch an urgent investigation into the anonymous company, hoping to expose their criminal operation before the Feathers' holiday season ends in disaster. Darkly funny and deeply humane, Suburban Wildlife is part family drama, part mystery, and part meditation on the animal instincts people adopt when survival is at stake. Set against the backdrop of the Great Recession, it explores class, loyalty, and moral awakening—and asks what it really means to succeed when the American dream no longer feels secure.