Mandell JCC's Phyllis Hoffman Hartford Jewish Film Festival 2023

The Man in the Basement

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A taut psychological thriller based on true events. Simon, a Parisian Jew descended from family who perished in the Holocaust, unknowingly sells the unused cellar space in his apartment building to Fonzic, a former history teacher and Holocaust denier. As soon as Fonzic takes occupancy, his motives become clear. Simon’s family life is upended, his naïve teenage daughter falls prey to Fonzic’s propaganda, and events in the apartment building take a sinister turn. Can Simon rescind the sale and evict the bigot on the basis of his antisemitic beliefs? Does Fonzic have a legitimate legal claim to the space? The story unfolds in a way that shifts your sympathies back and forth, each unsettling turn of the plot raising the stakes.

  • Year
    2021
  • Runtime
    114 minutes
  • Language
    Subtitles
  • Country
    France