Sous-sols

As a photographer, I admit that certain aspects of certain fetishistic sex can be, uh, "photogenic". However, the real deal in suburbia is far from photogenic and, quite frankly, kinda boring. Wait, not merely "kinda", but EXTREMELY boring.

That said, this is a documentary about people that are not only sex fetishists, but exhibitionists as well. Everyone, even the non-sex fetishists, puts forth their weirdest crap to be filmed for the sake of "being in a film". Of course, they're all kinda clueless and operate on a very base-level; which never adds up to anything remotely interesting.

If you're here for the sex, just rent porn. If you think this is some kind of anthropological big reveal about the human condition... forget it!

If you aren't familiar with Ulrich Seidl's work than this may not be the film you should start with. I am a big fan of course, so I may be biased.

What I love about his work is probably what many people don't like. You're never too sure if what he is showing is reality or something he created. Some of his films are real documentary and some of them are fiction. But which is which? They all feel similar and all have a similar tone. They are psychological and deep, they leave you wondering about different life situations (Bukowski fans take note).

"Wonder", this was the original intent of cinema, to leave an audience wondering. But a simple Buster Keaton film won't do the trick anymore and if CGI and explosions are your thing, Seidl won't be your thing either.

This brings us to the "actors" and this is where Seidl is making art. No big name actors, not even expensive actors, but the reality is there, it sucks you in piece by piece. Where does he find these people? That alone is an incredible talent, if they aren't actors in the traditional sense of the word. Each one is a deep character unto themselves. Are they actors or are they real people? You'll get dizzy thinking about it.

I recommend starting with "Import / Export" or "Models", then you'll know if Seidl is your thing. If you have a hard time with some of the off-beat realities of real life, or a hard life, you should look elsewhere. It's not horror, but is a bit of shock.

I'm grateful for Seidl because very little cinema moves me anymore in the way that he does. I hope he never stops.

This is art house cinema for the modern age folks.

8 out of 10 stars plus another because it's Seidl.

This is a sort of documentary about various people in their basements. I say sort of because some of this movie is obviously staged. Plus in the end credits are listings for Foley (Sound Effects) artists & editors so some sound effects were added after filming.

There are no real run-of-the-mill basements & people here. All are in Austria. One is an adult woman that plays with a doll as if it's a real baby. Another is a man that's basement is full of Nazi & Hitler memorabilia he's very proud of and is also a musician and has his bandmates over. Two of those people were fired from their jobs after appearing in this film. Another man has a gun range and teaches a gun class. Then there are several separate Master/Mistress & Slave basements & participant. They show some of their play. There are a few scenes that are just people standing/sitting still in their basements, usually looking like deer in the headlights.

Yes a lot but not all is interesting. Yes a lot but not all is weird. But some things are a bit too much. Not everyone will like this movie. Not everyone will hate it. So I can neither recommend or dissuade from watching.

Saw this movie in an International movie festival, while it sounded very unexpected - it really was. Seeing many people leaving before the end kept me thinking about how long am I going to survive in this madness which is actually happening in Austrian basements. While some of it I could take with humor and actually smile about the old generations habits and being just a little naive for their age and location. Few characters left me wondering - why the hell its not illegal in Austria to be a completely brainless person ? From the other side - a complete mind opener about the society we live in where everything is allowed and no morals exist beyond and past your basement or private property.

IN THE BASEMENT, Ulrich Seidl goes downstairs and finds creepy dolls, Nazi man caves, cock and ball torture and gives viewers a tour of the private hobbies practiced. Seidl continues his studies on taboos, social boundaries, the human soul's darkness and his beloved Austria. It benefits from a truly intelligent scenario which uses the form of the fable to give the spectator a complex social discourse. Between taboo and philosophy, the story follows the different things people do in there basement. Under the basement, Im Keller is a documentary film eyeing on different experiences, but also symbolizes here in a threatening way. I enjoyed the film's extremely mannered style. When characters are being "good," the acting is melodramatic, but when they're in the basement it's weird, they're often incoherent and loud, or the film heightens the viscerality.