The Man in the Basement () is a 2021 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.
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 Denise Chalem as Nelly Sandberg Patrick Descamps as Grandpa Gérard François-Éric Gendron as Attorney Massard Laëtitia Eïdo as Carole Vasquez Martine Chevallier as Attorney Rivière Patrick d'Assumçao as Monsieur Leroux
Production The film was shot in Paris.
Release The film was released in New York City on January 27, 2023.
Reception The film has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews. Calan Panchoo of Film Threat rated the film a 6 out of 10. Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded the film three stars.
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."
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."
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."
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