Oh, honey, let’s talk about “The Man in My Basement,” because nothing screams “riveting cinema” like a dusty basement and questionable life choices. Corey Hawkins (who I’m sure is thrilled about this career highlight) plays Charles Blakey, a man so down on his luck in Sag Harbor (yes, Sag Harbor!), that he’s practically auditioning for a pity party.💰His ancestral home is about to be snatched away, because apparently, owning property is just a suggestion these days. Then, like a gift from the “I Have Questionable Intentions” fairy, Willem Dafoe shows up as Anniston Bennet. He proposes renting Charles’s basement for the summer. Because that’s totally normal. FOR REAL.
So, picture this: Charles, desperate and probably not the sharpest tool in the shed, agrees. I mean, who wouldn’t rent out their dusty basement to a mysterious Willem Dafoe? What could possibly go wrong? 🤷♀️Turns out, a lot. The movie plunges into a “terrifying path” involving family ghosts and a puzzle about race. Because nothing says summer fun like racial trauma and basement dwelling.
Directed by Nadia Latif, who apparently enjoys making us squirm, and co-written with Walter Mosley, this film seems to want to tackle ALL THE THINGS. Race? Check. Trauma? Double-check. Dusty basements? You betcha. It’s got Corey Hawkins looking confused, Willem Dafoe being creepy (as only he can), and a supporting cast that probably wondered what they signed up for. Anna Diop, Jonathan Ajayi, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr., Pamela Nomvete, and Tamara Lawrance all join this party of existential dread. 🎉
Honestly, the trailer alone gave me a headache. It’s like they threw a bunch of buzzwords into a blender – “race,” “trauma,” “ancestral home” – and hoped for the best. And let’s be real, Willem Dafoe could read a grocery list and make it unsettling. So, kudos to him for elevating this probable dumpster fire. 🔥
“The Man In My Basement” promises to be a cinematic experience. If by “experience,” you mean “a confusing and probably pretentious exploration of heavy themes with questionable plot devices,” then yeah, spot on. It hits select cinemas on September 12th, because everyone wants to spend their hard-earned cash on a movie about basement rentals and racial tension. 🙄And if you’re not into the whole “leaving your house” thing, it’ll be on Hulu/Disney+ this autumn. Because nothing says “family fun night” like a movie that makes you question your existence. 🤣
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
