The Man in the Basement is a 2023 French thriller drama film written by Marc Weitzmann, Philippe Le Guay and Gilles Taurand, directed by LeGuay and starring François Cluzet, Jérémie Renier and Bérénice Bejo.[1][2]
| The Man in the Basement | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Philippe Le Guay |
| Written by | Marc Weitzmann Philippe Le Guay Gilles Taurand |
| Starring | François Cluzet Jérémie Renier Bérénice Bejo |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot
A Jewish couple sell their house to a former history teacher, only to discover he was an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist.
Cast
- François Cluzet as Jacques Fonzic
- Jérémie Renier as Simon Sandberg
- Bérénice Bejo as Helene Sandberg
- Jonathan Zaccaï as David Sandberg
- Victoria Eber as Justine Sandberg
Production
Release
The film was released in New York City on January 27, 2023.[4]
Reception
The film has a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.[5] Calan Panchoo of Film Threat rated the film a 6 out of 10.[2] Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded the film three stars.[6]
Hannah Brown of The Jerusalem Post gave the film a positive review and wrote, "All the actors are good here, among them Renier, who starred in a number of films by the Dardenne brothers(...)But the movie really belongs to Cluzet and the vile character he portrays."[4]
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times also gave the film a positive review, calling it "a gripping, smart and timely film that’s part thriller, part domestic drama and all cautionary tale."[7]
Beatrice Loayza of The New York Times gave the film a negative review and wrote, "Somewhere in The Man in the Basement there is a smart psychodrama sharpened by political urgency, but what we get is a middling think piece that too quickly loses momentum — and peters out by the end."[1]
