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‘The Man in My Basement’ Premieres at TIFF to Tepid Reviews Ahead of Sept. 12 Release

Critics cite strong lead performances alongside complaints of thematic overload.

Overview

  • Nadia Latif makes her feature debut with an adaptation co-written with novelist Walter Mosley.
  • The film stars Corey Hawkins as a cash-strapped Sag Harbor homeowner and Willem Dafoe as a wealthy tenant whose basement stay triggers unsettling turns.
  • Set in the mid-1990s and running about 115 minutes, the thriller blends haunted-house imagery with dialogue-driven confrontations tied to West African artifacts.
  • Early TIFF reviews from outlets including THR, Variety, IndieWire, and TheWrap describe striking performances but fault the film as messy, uneven, and overstuffed.
  • Andscape will open the film in a limited U.S. theatrical run on Sept. 12, with streaming to follow on Hulu and Disney+.
  • Latif says pandemic and strike delays proved beneficial by giving the cast and creative team extra time to prepare and research.