Many Faces of Antisemitism – The Man in the Basement

Feb 19, 2023 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susan Rosenbluth – Two Sues On The Aisle

Selling a storage space should be simple enough, yet for Simon Sandberg, a Jewish Parisian architect (Jérémie Renier) it is the start of a nightmare. Simon sells his storage cellar to Jacques Fonzic (The Untouchables’ François Cluzet) who appears to be a quiet well-mannered history teacher. Fonzic turns out to be an ardent Holocaust denier, who takes up residence in the cellar and then refuses to leave.

Simon wants to invalidate the sale and tries to get Fonzic to move out. Fonzic takes advantage of Simon’s good nature, twisting acts of kindness out of context, making himself appear as the hapless victim. Fonzics pushes Simon past the point of desperation. The Man in the Basement is a tense psychological thriller based on a true story.

Jacques Fonzic (The Untouchables’ François Cluzet)

Perception Shapes Reality

The Man in the Basement shows how Fonzic is dangerous by shaping the facts to fit his distorted view of reality. Whether his distortions are premeditated, directed at his Jewish landlord, or accidental, does not change the circumstances. Fonzic shrewdly shapes our perception, deflecting culpability, while maintaining the truth behind his claims.

One example of this behavior happens after Simon discovers Fonzic living in the basement, and offers him temporary use of an apartment rent-free. Fonzic recalls it differently, saying only that Simon threw him out of the apartment. Rewriting events seems to be Fonzic’s proclivity, constantly backtracking and changing the facts.

Distorting the Truth

Simon’s efforts to evict Fonzic continue escalating. Yet Fonzic remains unphased, engaging Justine (Victoria Eber), Simon’s high school daughter. He encourages her to look at the inhumane treatment of Native Americans, asking her to challenge the “official truth”. Fonzic, who was a high school history teacher banned for teaching Holocaust denial, seems to be stalking Justine.

Hélène (Bérénice Bejo) & Simon Sandberg (Jérémie Renier)

Fonzic exhibits a pattern of blatantly, believably changing the facts to evoke sympathy, turning the building residents against Simon. Even worse, he convincingly presents information and arguments that deny the Holocaust, promoting his antisemitic messaging. Fonzic’s hatred is not limited to Jews calling a local bartender a “dirty Arab” when confronted with using his bathroom, a warning that hate has few boundaries.

Confronting Hatred

Le Guay positions Hélène (Bérénice Bejo) Simon’s wife, who is not Jewish, as the champion for justice. She appears more disturbed than her husband by Fonzic’s anti-Jewish hatred after she discovers his blog spewing hatred. Her visceral reaction is an indication that antisemitic hatred is not a Jewish problem, it concerns us all.

The scenes are filmed to evoke an image of Fonzic as a monster, lurking in the shadows, ready to take advantage of the unsuspecting. Even the cellar is shown as a dark-lair-like cave.

Fonzic confronts Hélène at her apartment

Fonzic is repeatedly seen in confrontations with others, yet somehow he flips the script raising reasonable doubts that make them believe his point of view. He explains “I complain about what they do to me, I don’t hurt anyone but they hurt me, I only ask questions.” By using questions Fonzic enables them to doubt facts, disregard testimonies, and deny the evidence of genocide.

These tactics are real, which makes The Man in the Basement a disturbing exploration of actual antisemitic tactics and language.

The Real Story that Inspired the Movie

About 15 fifteen years ago friends of Philippe Le Guay sold their cellar to a man who wanted it to store some archives, handing the key over to the new owner and cashing the check. They subsequently discovered the buyer was a hardcore neo-Nazi and wanted to cancel the sale, but according to French law it was too late, the sale was finalized. It took two years in court to reverse the sale.

Hard Hitting and Fear Evoking

The Man in the Basement is a powerful film that raises awareness of how easy it is to distort the truth. Fonzic is especially effective in manipulating others. We had to step back and momentarily question his intentions. Did he seek out a Jewish landowner, a family of Holocaust survivors to torment?

There is little preventing the Fonzics of the world from shaping public opinion. Left unchecked, spreading hatred, especially when Jews like Simon become unwitting victims. Simon’s desire to see the best in others made him an easy target. If only Simon had been less trusting and checked references this story would have been different.

In a world of rising antisemitism, The Man in the Basement is a timely warning, showing how easily the language and behaviors of hate can spread through society, infecting neighbors, and people we trust.

The Man in the Basement is available on Amazon and AppleTV on February 28

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Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed.

The Man in the Basement received a 3 Challah rating

Run time:114 minutes; French with English subtitles