PRESS

MAN UNDERGROUND

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AWARDS

  • Best First Feature — Fantasia Film Festival

  • Audience Favorite — Easter Oregon Film Festival

  • Best Feature Film — STUFF Film Festival

REVIEWS

“The NAPOLEON DYNAMITE of alien conspiracy movies… Borowiec and Marine are able to pump so much vibrancy into this picture through lovingly staged shots and an infectious soundtrack… I left it feeling upbeat and inspired.”

— The Scream Cast

"About as entertaining a film as you are going to find. I was blown away by the writing and direction from Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine."

— VideoViews.com

"The best of the four [Fantasia films reviewed here] is a close call but I’ll go with Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine’s heartbreaking MAN UNDERGROUND... carried by truly genuine, lived-in performances from a trio of actors who are very careful not to mock the people they’re playing—those living on the fringe of society, and possibly sanity."

— RogerEbert.com

"The film mixes a slow, quiet dread of the initial moments with Macon Blair in BLUE RUIN with an almost broad silliness of Will Forte’s role in LAST MAN ON EARTH… It creates its own little world that’s coherent and captivating, finding both the power and the pathos of this tragic character who at least for himself believes in his narrative… As a love letter to the thrills of conspiracy along with reveling in the lunacy that is indie filmmaking, MAN UNDERGROUND is a fine work indeed."

— Screen Anarchy

“Basil is wonderful as Willem... A movie that feels truly independent, free of studio restraints and agendas, MAN UNDERGROUND, much like its lead, is a film that wears its heart on its sleeve. An interesting feature debut for directing duo Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec."

— The Hollywood News

"It’s heartbreaking. It’s exciting. It’s realistic... The emotional depth of this intimate indie is impressive… Man Underground is a tense character study with a terrifying central mystery. The sparse cast is solid and the central characters are deep and well-fleshed out."

— No Real Danger

"Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec have created a compelling story with interesting characters that revolve around a subject matter rarely tackled."

— Slack Jaw Punks

"Funny, sweet and emotionally draining. It's a film that can make you grin like an idiot but can punch you in the gut... Man Underground is a Den of Geek film. It's for us and all of you. "

— Den of Geek

"MAN UNDERGROUND is an engaging, endearing, and ultimately engrossing little character study about three misfits trying to make a name for themselves in the only way they know how… The acting is top notch, with Basil, Fila & Rocco turning in honest and believable performances… if you decide to give Man Underground a watch, you might find yourself surprised by the genuine performances, and the smooth, confident directorial style of Borowiec and Marine."

— Gruesome Magazine

"Anchored by three fantastic lead performances, MAN UNDERGROUND walks a tricky line between oddball comedy and darker psychological terrain. It’s frequently laugh-out-loud funny, but it also endears its characters to the audience to the point that it’s genuinely uncomfortable to watch when there is inevitable conflict between them."

— Daily Grindhouse

2016 Recap: 10 Honorable Mentions List

— Medium.com

"If you’re a fan of great independent cinema then I think this is a must… A great movie, well written, simple, and intriguing… A character-driven story that proves you don’t need the impressive FX to win your audience."

— Movie Hooker

"It’s a story that alternates between funny, charming, cringe worthy and ultimate heartbreaking all without breaking much of a sweat."

— Film Thrills

"This is the sort of film that is what independent cinema should be doing, making films that surprise and delight you as they go along and do so in completely unexpected ways… This film is one you should see and it is highly recommended."

— Unseen Films

"MAN UNDERGROUND shot for seventeen days with a budget of only $35,000. For that money and time, it looks amazing, and goes far solely on the charm of its surprisingly capable four-person cast. Man Underground supplies a new approach to the oft-told story of a man who just doesn’t seem made for the world around him and can’t figure out how to deal with it."

— Birth. Movies. Death.

"The film features no shortage of charm filled with quirky performances all around that will keep you glued to your seat."

— We Are Indie Horror

"Recalls the vibe of low-budget 1970s sci-fi genre filmmaking, grounded by its highly dimensionalized and grounded performances."

— Fresh From the Theater

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“Initially humorous but ultimately unsettling… the daring storytelling decision is what makes MAN UNDERGROUND such a bold, memorable film... One of the most impressive not-quite-sci-fi movies in recent memory.”

— Cinema Slasher

“The latest gem to emerge from the loose U.S. wave of personal indie genre visions of recent years... MAN UNDERGROUND is a very special and uncomfortable film. A sometimes funny, sometimes frightening work of intense paranoid drama with chilling elements of sci-fi and an incredible lead performance from FLAKED’s George Basil. MAN UNDERGROUND also spikes as a cautionary tale about emotionally fragile filmmakers making cripplingly personal works... A very special film that instantly announces its co-writing/directing team of Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine as major new talents to watch. In fact, you won’t be able to look away.”

— Mitch Davis, Fantasia Film Festival

"A special little film that knows exactly what it's doing... one of the highlights of this year."

— UK Horror Scene

"Amusing, big-hearted, and decidedly offbeat."

— That's Not Current

"As sweetly funny as it’s emotionally tragic."

— The Film Stage

"The cast is absolutely stellar. I truly don't have a word that describes how much I enjoyed this group of people, particularly Fila, who does an incredible job as Flossie… SO, SO different from anything I've ever watched… I recommend this film 200% for anyone that's looking for something they've never seen before, something fun, lighthearted, but totally out-of-the-norm."

— Nightmarish Conjurings

"This is a strong, well-acted debut that treats its oddball lead with respect and sensitivity, and we’re excited to see what Borowiec and Marine do next."

— SciFiNow

"By blending fantastic writing, superb acting and a haunting score, MAN UNDERGROUND is a successfully interesting and alluring entry in Fantasia 2016… I was enamored by this unordinary tale of a man’s struggle."

— DoseOfTerror.com

"George Basil is perfectly cast... Four and a half out of five. It’s a wonderfully crafted film… As Willem says, when you gather together people you believe in, anything can happen, and in this case a great movie happened, one that will leave you thinking."

— The Slaughtered Bird

"[A] strong entry into the pantheon of modern indie genre films... well worth the price of admission."

— Cinapse

Left to right: Logan Olberg, sound mixer; Jonathan Hogan, production assistant; Michael Borowiec, director; Sam Marine, director; Zach De Sorbo, composer. At Cinequest Film Festival 2016. Photo by Michael Dawson Photography.

Left to right: Logan Olberg, sound mixer; Jonathan Hogan, production assistant; Michael Borowiec, director; Sam Marine, director; Zach De Sorbo, composer. At Cinequest Film Festival 2016. Photo by Michael Dawson Photography.

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AWARDS

  • Winner: Most Outrageous — Orlando Film Festival

  • 2020 NoBudge Films of the Year — NoBudge

  • Official Selection — SeriesFest

  • Official Selection — IFP Screen Forward Lab

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Photo by Michael Gingold