THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe, Anna Diop, Jonathan Ajayi, and Pamela Nomvete
Director: Nadia Latif
AMARÚ
Nadia Latif’s directorial debut is a darkly meditative look into family legacy, history (specifically surrounding Black people in the U.S.), and self-worth that uses spooky imagery and sinister blocking to create an eerie tone. But truthfully, her great direction is merely a runway to showcase a career-best performance from Corey Hawkins. It’s very hard to make you forget about Willem Dafoe, but Hawkins’ commanding desperation (which, of course, is elevated by Dafoe being Dafoe) is the lynchpin on which every aspect of this film turns. It’s a tremendously shattering performance that delivers a remarkably thought-provoking movie.
NICK
Maybe I’ve just gotten too used to Willem Dafoe playing outlandish characters, and expected something more in that vein, but I found The Man in My Basement to be a bit of a bore. I can’t put this on the performances of Dafoe or Corey Hawkins because they’re fine, if unspectacular. I just think everything hit a lull following its mysterious setup. It’s not a film devoid of good ideas, it just doesn’t present them in a way that could keep my attention. There’s something here, no doubt, but it needed a lot more work to be brought to fruition.
ADRIANO
As effective as the eeriness of The Man in My Basement is, I'm afraid I have no clue what the goal of this was. Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe are great, but the story never clarifies its ultimate trajectory. It brings up grand points about class, colonialism, the history of race in America, and even smaller stuff like struggling to get by. But if that feels like too much for one film, it's because it is, and it never quite finds enough balance to actually make a statement. I would chalk this down as a swing and a miss, even though it's well-made.
ROBERT
After reflecting on The Man in My Basement for a while, I haven’t concluded what I was supposed to take away from it. I understand there are considerations about family legacy, history and how those often get co-opted, but with two disparate storylines floating around Corey Hawkins’ Charles, I am uncertain if they were meant to intertwine into a clearer message. The performances are fine and there is a general creepiness to it, but being creepy without a salient reason feels incomplete, which is where I ended up with the film. You don’t need to lock yourself away for this one.
BODE
With The Man in My Basement, director Nadia Latif crafts a debut feature that is as hauntingly surreal as it is frustratingly overstuffed. In tackling as many themes as it does, such as grief, generational trauma, and colonial history, it risks stumbling under its own weight (and honestly makes the film longer than it should be). But the eerie atmosphere Latif creates is effective all throughout, thanks to some of her blocking and unsettling sound design. Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe both deliver great performances as well, enlivening much of their material. Messy for sure, but it’s never not interesting.
This film was reviewed by Amarú and Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.