Review: Basement Feature Screening at New Ohio Theatre

Last Sunday, on a snowy afternoon, the feature screening of Basement debuted at the New Ohio Theatre in the West Village, as part of the 2022 NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival.

Written and directed by Robert Rosenbaum and produced by Matthew Panepinto, the movie, which was shot all in one room, follows nine neighbors inside a basement-turned-bomb shelter as they grapple with the outside world and the tension found all around them. The city is at war and bombs are heard overhead but what's really captivating are the issues that come to light in that basement, with cultures clashing in the most intense way.

The basement belongs to Jake (Brian Krause) and his young daughter Hannah (Jordana Rose) and is soon joined by neighbors Steve (Hunter Emery) and Lily (Shannon Marie Sullivan) who are pregnant. While these four are off to a rocky start, thanks to Steve's hyper anxiety and too-hot temper, it's when the other characters arrive that make Steve truly come undone and show his (and his wife's) cruel prejudices.

Interestingly, it is those very characters Steve is so against that are the real champions here, with Angela (Christie Prades), a Latin American woman taking care of everyone's emotional needs, and Louis (RJ Brown), a young Black man risking his life to save the others. Sal (Rizwan Manji) and his son Hadir (Aariq Manji) are Indian Americans who are wrongly accused of being "terrorists" by Steve (even being pat-down in search for bombs) but still show compassion by helping when needed the most.

It was easy to get lost in the emotional drama happening inside that basement and completely forget there was a war going on outside. One of the most memorable and raw moments is when Sal asks Jake what he would do if the police ever questioned him unfairly. Jake's realization about his privilege and how he's been living in his own reality is something we can all learn from.

The ending seemed to wrap up things a little too nicely with impeccable timing. It seemed unlikely but provided that blockbuster ending that perhaps maybe many of us subconsciously craved. The 3-D effects were a bit off at times, making the camera look a little wobbly, but this didn't discredit the tension, anger, and fear felt throughout the story, and the emotional position these characters were in.

BASEMENT will soon be available on pay per view come April 1st. The 2022 NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival is still happening online from now until February 20.

(Photo courtesy of DARR Publicity)