In the Basement

People and their basement are a very special duet. Ulrich Seidl's film tells the story of what people do in their basements and in their free time. Whether underground, hidden behind heavy doors or moved by steep stairs into an everyday beyond - in cellars lurk and store obsessions, brass music and opera arias, expensive furniture and cheap men's jokes. Ulrich Seidl tells stories as tragic as they are comical, of sexuality and willingness to shoot, fitness and fascism, whipping and dolls. After his large-scale PARADISE trilogy, Ulrich Seidl returns to the documentary form with IN THE BASEMENT and takes us on a terribly entertaining ride through the basement of living room souls.

"What you no longer need, you put away in the basement. But also everything that should not be seen is stowed there. The film tells stories of people who pursue their passions and obsessions in the hidden. Model trains and basement bars, giant snakes, amateur radio operators, fitness rooms and laundry rooms. Opera arias echo in the vaulted cellar, naked flesh is beaten and screams of lust are heard." MARKUS KEUSCHNIGG