The Man in My Basement Review: Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe in a Stylish but Overstuffed Thriller

A Story of Debt, Power, and Ghosts of the Past

Set in Sag Harbor, New York, The Man in My Basement begins with a grounded, relatable struggle. Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins), unemployed and facing foreclosure on his ancestral home, receives an unsettling offer from Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe), a mysterious businessman who wants to rent out Charles’ basement for the summer. The money would clear Charles’ debts, but the deal comes at a cost. What begins as a financial arrangement morphs into a dark, psychological game that explores race, trauma, and the blurred lines between freedom and imprisonment.

Corey Hawkins Anchors the Film with Career-Best Work

One of the clear strengths of the film is Corey Hawkins, who delivers one of his best performances to date. His portrayal of Charles is layered and deeply human, balancing vulnerability with determination. He plays a man burdened by history, haunted by family ghosts, and desperate for survival. Even when the narrative begins to lose focus, Hawkins remains magnetic, keeping the audience invested in Charles’ journey.

Willem Dafoe is Relentless as Anniston Bennet

Then there’s Willem Dafoe, who once again proves he can do no wrong. As Bennet, he is unsettlingly polite, charismatic, and manipulative — a man whose every word feels like a trap. Watching Dafoe and Hawkins go head-to-head provides the film’s most gripping moments, a battle of wills where power constantly shifts. Their performances elevate the material, even when the storytelling falters.

Symbolism, Style, and Overstuffed Ideas

The film reaches for big, important themes — freedom, imprisonment, race, history, survival, and generational trauma. Symbolism is everywhere, sometimes to the point of excess. As a viewer, I wanted to connect to the deep cultural resonance and layers of meaning, but it never quite clicked. Instead, the abundance of ideas often competes with itself, making the story feel crowded and unfocused.

The runtime doesn’t help. At just about two hours, the film could have been tightened considerably. Several sequences linger too long, testing patience rather than building tension. With sharper editing, the narrative might have landed with more clarity and impact.

Cinematography and Psychological Atmosphere

Visually, the film is striking. The cinematography is its most consistent triumph, with low-light shots that enhance the claustrophobic mood and psychological unease. The framing and lighting choices often do more to convey dread than the script itself. Stylistically, director Nadia Latif clearly has a bold eye. The psychological atmosphere is unsettling, keeping you on edge and unsure of what’s coming next.

Walter Mosley’s Source Material and Cultural Weight

The film is adapted from Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name, and that’s no small detail. Mosley is one of the most celebrated African American writers of his generation, known for weaving race, history, and identity into deeply human stories. His works often force characters — and readers — to grapple with the weight of generational trauma and the lasting scars of systemic inequality.

On the page, The Man in My Basement unfolds as both a suspenseful thriller and a metaphor-rich exploration of cultural memory. Translating that depth to screen is no easy task, and while the film captures some of Mosley’s thematic ambition, it doesn’t always tie the threads together as tightly. The novel’s richness sometimes feels thinned out in the adaptation, with too many ideas jostling for space. Still, the attempt to bring Mosley’s voice to cinema carries significance, adding cultural heft even where the film stumbles.

A Director to Watch, Even if the Film Doesn’t Fully Land

Nadia Latif’s direction shows ambition and style, even if this particular story feels too overstuffed to land with precision. There’s no question the talent is there — the framing, the mood, the ambition — but the film suffers from trying to do too much at once without tying everything together cohesively. It’s a debut that shows promise for what Latif may deliver in the future, but here the execution never fully matches the vision.

Final Verdict: Ambitious but Uneven

The Man in My Basement is not without merit. The performances are powerful, the visuals are captivating, and the psychological elements are often compelling. But the film is weighed down by its overstuffed themes and extended runtime, leaving it intriguing yet frustrating. It’s not the worst film by any stretch, but it’s far from the best. For all its ambition and atmosphere, it ultimately left me more admiring of the effort than connected to its message.