# The Basics of Philosophy
**The Basics of Philosophy** is a 2026 drama film written and directed by [Paul Schrader](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-schrader), starring [Jack Huston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-huston) as a repressed philosophy professor whose buried past resurfaces when the victim of his transgression returns at his father's funeral. It premiered at the 83rd [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival) on September 4, 2026, and received sharply divided reviews.[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) • [2](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Paul Schrader[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821) |
| Premiere | World premiere September 4, 2026, at the 83rd Venice Film Festival[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) |
| Runtime / genre | 94 minutes, drama, in English[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) • [2](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy) |
| Lead cast | Jack Huston (John Jorrisen), Sofia Boutella (Rebecca Richards), Daniel Zovatto (Miguel Vasque), Bill Pullman (Melvyn Jorrisen), Karl Glusman (Baruch Spinoza), Richard Gere (dean cameo)[4](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/credits/) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best) |
| Producer of note | Martin Scorsese, as executive producer; his second time in that role on a Schrader film after *The Card Counter* (2021)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821/news/) |
| Budget | A little over $2 million[7](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/9/4/paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy) |
| Reception | 60% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 15 reviews; 5.1/10 on IMDb[2](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821) |
| Release | Theatrical and streaming release dates not yet announced as of late 2026[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) • [8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy) |
## Plot
Dr. John Jorrisen (Jack Huston) teaches an introductory philosophy course at Ridgemont College, a small liberal arts school in the American Midwest, and is writing a book on the Dutch philosopher [Baruch Spinoza](https://www.edgepedia.org/baruch-spinoza).[9](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/main/) He is dating Rebecca Richards ([Sofia Boutella](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-boutella)), a psychology professor and single mother of a teenage son, but keeps an emotional distance from her.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best) • [10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-paul-schrader-review/)
The crisis arrives when John's wealthy father Melvyn ([Bill Pullman](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-pullman)), a businessman who had covered up his son's transgression years earlier, dies.[11](https://moveablefest.com/paul-schrader-basics-of-philosophy/) At the funeral, John recognizes Miguel Vasque ([Daniel Zovatto](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-zovatto)), the son of Melvyn's gardener, whom John sexually abused as a teenager; Melvyn paid for Miguel's private school and college education to keep the matter from becoming a police case.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best) Miguel's return drives John into a crisis of guilt, desire, and spiritual reckoning as he interrogates whether a person's character can truly change, a question he explores through his writing on Spinoza's thought.[9](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/main/) • [12](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2026/BasicsOfPhilosophy/Review/) The film includes a dream sequence in which John discusses change with Spinoza himself (Karl Glusman), a scene that proved especially divisive among critics.[13](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/venice-2026-the-basics-of-philosophy-diane-in-the-loop-look-back) • [1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/)
## Production
Schrader, whose screenplay was written before it was filmed, began production in June 2025.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-paul-schrader-review/) • [14](https://www.productionweekly.com/062625sw.pdf) At the Venice press conference he described the digital-era economics that enable his late output: shooting in 19 days instead of 40, at half the cost, which he credited with making a Bressonian style affordable for him.[15](https://elpais.com/cultura/2026-09-05/trauma-culpa-y-redencion-el-cine-terapia-no-convence-en-venecia.html) The budget was a little over $2 million.[7](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/9/4/paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy)
Martin Scorsese joined as executive producer shortly before the festival; the announcement noted that Scorsese and Schrader formed one of the notable writing-directing partnerships of the 1970s and 1980s on *Taxi Driver*, *Raging Bull*, and *[The Last Temptation of Christ](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-last-temptation-of-christ-film)*, and that this was Scorsese's second executive-producer turn on a Schrader film after *The Card Counter*.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821/news/) Noora Films came aboard to handle international sales.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821/news/) Production companies include Redline Entertainment, Paul Schrader Productions, Film Maudit, and others.[9](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/main/) Eli Keszler composed the score and Sean Price Williams was the cinematographer.[4](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/credits/)
## Context in Schrader's late work
The film continues what critics have called Schrader's "Man in a Room" series, begun with *First Reformed* (2017) and followed by *The Card Counter* and *[Master Gardener](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-gardener-film)*, in which an isolated man works through guilt in an austere room; World of Reel called it the weakest entry of that group, while other reviewers located it thematically adjacent to the trilogy.[7](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/9/4/paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy) • [16](https://thefilmstage.com/venice-review-paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy-is-too-inert-to-catch-fire/) Where earlier protagonists kept paper diaries, Jorrisen types, and where earlier figures were clergy or gamblers, he is an academic.[16](https://thefilmstage.com/venice-review-paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy-is-too-inert-to-catch-fire/)
The film's reception was also shaped by circumstances around its maker. In April 2025, Schrader was accused of sexual assault and harassment by a former assistant, and production began within months.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-paul-schrader-review/) TheWrap's Siddhant Adlakha argued that the film's meta-text, the story of its creation by a director publicly accused of misconduct, cannot be separated from its tale of an accused man seeking absolution.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-paul-schrader-review/)
## Critical reception
The response at Venice was sharply split, and the reviews pulled in opposite directions on the same material. The *Guardian*'s Peter Bradshaw called it Schrader's most successful picture since *First Reformed*, praising its suspenseful tread and "elegant, indirectly macabre finale" while singling out Karl Glusman's Spinoza cameo as likely the strangest thing at that year's festival.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best) Spain's *El País* likewise framed it as the one trauma film at Venice that "tasted of truth," and noted Schrader's remark that he cannot write about anything other than guilt and redemption.[15](https://elpais.com/cultura/2026-09-05/trauma-culpa-y-redencion-el-cine-terapia-no-convence-en-venecia.html)
Other critics were far harsher. Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com wrote that it "might be the worst film of Paul Schrader's career," criticizing its harsh video look and a fantasy sequence he called the film's biggest misfire.[13](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/venice-2026-the-basics-of-philosophy-diane-in-the-loop-look-back) Time Out's Phil de Semlyen found it dreary, objecting to the conflation of sexual misconduct and closeted homosexuality and to the negative depiction of queer culture.[17](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-review) Loud And Clear Reviews called it dull and exploitative, while acknowledging its attempts at discussion of sexuality, religion, and divine forgiveness.[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) The aggregate picture was mixed: 60% on the Tomatometer from 15 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, and 5.1/10 from 73 user votes on IMDb as of the most recent data.[2](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821)
A recurring point of disagreement was the Spinoza dream sequence. Bradshaw called the cameo the weirdest thing at Venice; Seitz mocked its costume and staging; Loud And Clear Reviews called it laughable and momentum-breaking; Fotogramas's Manu Yáñez, writing in Spanish, instead praised the film for tackling themes from individual responsibility to mortality without extravagance, and gave it 5 out of 5.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best) • [13](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/venice-2026-the-basics-of-philosophy-diane-in-the-loop-look-back) • [1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) • [2](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy)
## Release
The film premiered out of competition at Venice on September 4, 2026, with additional festival screenings that week.[1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/) • [11](https://moveablefest.com/paul-schrader-basics-of-philosophy/) As of the most recent listings, the film had no announced streaming availability and its theatrical release date was listed as to be announced.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy) • [1](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/)
## References
1. [The Basics of Philosophy Film Review, Loud And Clear Reviews (Jack Walters, September 5, 2026)](https://loudandclearreviews.com/the-basics-of-philosophy-review/)
2. [The Basics Of Philosophy, Rotten Tomatoes](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_basics_of_philosophy)
3. [The Basics of Philosophy (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821)
4. [The Basics of Philosophy Cast & Crew, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/credits/)
5. [The Basics of Philosophy review, The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw, September 4, 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/04/the-basics-of-philosophy-review-paul-schrader-back-to-his-cool-cruel-best)
6. [Martin Scorsese Joins Paul Schrader's Venice Drama 'The Basics Of Philosophy' As EP, Deadline via IMDb News](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37279821/news/)
7. [Paul Schrader's 'The Basics of Philosophy' Is a Hollow, Lifeless Misfire, World of Reel](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/9/4/paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy)
8. [The Basics of Philosophy streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy)
9. [The Basics of Philosophy (2026) Movie, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-basics-of-philosophy/QpPso5YTVeToc4STsD7IF/main/)
10. ['The Basics of Philosophy' Review, TheWrap (Siddhant Adlakha, September 4, 2026)](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-paul-schrader-review/)
11. [Venice Film Fest 2026 Review, The Moveable Fest (Stephen Saito, September 4, 2026)](https://moveablefest.com/paul-schrader-basics-of-philosophy/)
12. [Film Review: Basics of Philosophy, OutNow (Simon Eberhard, September 5, 2026)](https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/2026/BasicsOfPhilosophy/Review/)
13. [Venice 2026: The Basics of Philosophy, RogerEbert.com (Matt Zoller Seitz, September 11, 2026)](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/venice-2026-the-basics-of-philosophy-diane-in-the-loop-look-back)
14. [Production Weekly listing, June 2025](https://www.productionweekly.com/062625sw.pdf)
15. [Trauma, culpa y redención: el cine-terapia no convence en Venecia, El País (September 5, 2026)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2026-09-05/trauma-culpa-y-redencion-el-cine-terapia-no-convence-en-venecia.html)
16. [Venice Review: Paul Schrader's The Basics of Philosophy Is Too Inert to Catch Fire, The Film Stage](https://thefilmstage.com/venice-review-paul-schraders-the-basics-of-philosophy-is-too-inert-to-catch-fire/)
17. [The Basics of Philosophy review, Time Out (Phil de Semlyen, September 4, 2026)](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-basics-of-philosophy-review)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Upcoming drama films 2027 onward*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license