Adapting a film from a novel is always a tricky proposition, and taking on Walter Mosley’s acclaimed novel The Man in My Basement is a perfect example. Director Nadia Latif has taken on this task, and with a couple of solid performances by the leads, takes the viewer on an interesting ride. However, the themes and ideas in the book don’t seem to translate well, and that’s a shame. The topic matter is intriguing and sometimes complex, but in the end, it feels like there was hesitation in digging too deep, where, in fact, the darkest and interesting ideas were waiting.
We meet Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins), whose life is essentially falling apart. Drinking too much, no direction, angry, and about to lose his family’s home. That all changes, both better and worse, with a simple knock at his door. Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe), a stranger, offers a large amount of money to rent his basement. Charles turns him down, but soon, circumstances lead him to take Anniston up on his offer. As it turns out, he should have listened to his instincts because things get weird and creepy in a hurry.
Anniston sets up a cell in his basement, essentially locking himself inside for two months, with Charles bringing him food, water, and his books while he reads, writes, and contemplates life. It is strange to say the least, and it doesn’t take long for things to go sideways as they begin to first lock horns on the most minor things. But things take a darker turn, and it becomes almost a battle of wits between the two men. They struggle with some incredibly tough and complex topics, such as race, morals, and family.
Dafoe and Hawkins play off of each other well, and dive into the material head-on. Dafoe, who can look both inviting and terrifying in the blink of an eye, is excellent here, giving us a character who has many questions and deep regrets. Hawkins does well to keep pace and hold his own, even if Dafoe sometimes overwhelms him with his sheer presence (to be fair, he does this to many). Director Latif does well to focus on their individual issues during their numerous exchanges, making it at times feel like they are the only two people in the world.
Charles also discovers some strange and mysterious heirlooms, some of which he finds while preparing the basement for his guest, leading to a peculiar and odd dynamic between him and Narciss (Anna Diop), an antique buyer. She helps fill in some pieces of his past while at the same time, giving him some hope for the future.
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It’s interesting to watch Charles transition from the sunshine of Narciss and what she can offer to the basement of his house and what Anniston is forcing him to confront. It’s sometimes a little jarring and uneven, but it works. It provides a welcome respite for the audience from the heaviness that resides in the basement.
While the leads do well to play off each other, the film never seems to delve deeply enough into the subject matter, relying too heavily on ambiguity and atmosphere to carry certain parts of the story. It’s a given that this subject matter has no easy answers, and there really shouldn’t be. Still, the buildup leads to some letdown as too much is left hanging, and some topics are either unexplored or not explored enough, which is one of the issues in trying to create a visual representation of a book with such deep ideas. The darkness of the basement, which is, in truth, a common characteristic of most basements, lends itself to a creepy atmosphere but also adds to the frustration of feeling unfulfilled.
With a film that basically had two leads and heavy subject matter, there was really nowhere to hide. Dafoe and Hawkins do well to make the most of that, but The Man in My Basement ends up feeling like an unfinished book, and what could have been is the most frustrating part of it all.
The Man in My Basement had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6.
