The Man in My Basement, 2025.
Directed by Nadia Latif.
Starring Corey Hawkins, Willem Dafoe, Anna Diop, Jonathan Ajayi, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, Tamara Lawrence, Pamela Nomvete and Brian Bovell.
SYNOPSIS
When a mysterious man (Willem Dafoe) approaches Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) to rent his basement for a generous sum, Blakey is drawn into a chilling reality involving his own family’s hidden history in Nadia Latif’s adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel.
When Willem Dafoe shows up at your door out of nowhere and asks if he can rent out your basement for an large amount of money, you know you’re probably going to be in for a hell of a weird and existential time. The Man in My Basement from director Nadia Latif delivers intriguing and chilling performances from Corey Hawkins and Dafoe in a psychological drama that veers on the edge of a supernatural horror, though it sometimes gets a little lost on what type of film it is trying to be. Nevertheless, it is engaging just for Hawkins and Dafoe alone.
The chemistry between Hawkins and Dafoe carries the film as their back and forth over Dafoe’s mysterious Anniston Bennett’s strange requests to Hawkins’ Charles Blakey gradually become more absurd, pushing both characters to the limits of their sanity. The film’s tone is very eerie as the complex co-dependency between the two men develops into philosophical arguments over the nature of good and evil. Dafoe is a scene stealer as he chews the scenery and gives impassioned monologues about his checkered past and belief while Hawkins holds his own against him, especially in the latter half when Blakey gets more combative and fed up with Bennett’s presence. The verbal sparring matches between them are incredibly captivating and helped even more so by the fact Latif shot the film in chronological order.
Aside from Dafoe, Hawkins has a very nice rapport with the rest of the cast, especially Anna Diop’s local historian Narciss (a reunion between the two after starring in the short-lived 24 spin-off 24: Legacy). The two of them share in a budding relationship that is equal parts sweet and frustrating as Blakey’s outlook on life is almost polar opposite to Narciss’, creating a lot of tension in their personal and professional partnership. Diop gives a layered performance through her attraction and confusion to Blakey while the rest of the cast, particularly Jonathan Ajayi and Tamara Lawrence as Blakey’s friends.
Where The Man in My Basement falters somewhat is in the convergence of the two storylines in the battle of wills between Blakey and Bennett and Blakey’s research into his family’s heirlooms and history. Latif creates uneasy tension as Charles begins questioning what exactly is real as the trauma from his life is not only catching up with him, but exacerbated further by Bennett’s presence. The sense of eeriness is heavy throughout the film, but the supernatural elements do not quite land or mix well together with Charles’ interactions with Bennett. Though both stories play an important part in Charles’ development and self-discovery, they each take a backseat to each other whenever one is the focus of a certain scene creating an unbalanced feeling in the film. To Latif’s credit thought, the extent of anything supernatural is left more ambiguous to the audience, but it still detracts from the more engaging aspects of the story and where exactly it could be heading.
The Man in My Basement has great performances from Hawkins and Dafoe with smart and snappy exchanges between the pair, especially towards the end. Diop also gives a memorable and layered performance as Narciss, but it still feels like more could have been done with her as well. Despite some of the unbalanced mixing of the two stories, it is still a thought-provoking film about history, race and the nature of good and evil led by its captivating lead actors.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★ ★
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