An Intense Psychological Drama Film from Nnamdi Asomugha and Mark Duplass

Summary

All Of It Podcast Summary: An Intense Psychological Drama Film from Nnamdi Asomugha and Mark Duplass

Episode Title: An Intense Psychological Drama Film from Nnamdi Asomugha and Mark Duplass
Release Date: August 14, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Nnamdi Asomugha (Producer, Director, Actor) and Mark Duplass (Co-Writer)

---

Introduction to "The Knife"

In this episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart, the spotlight is on the newly released psychological drama film, "The Knife." The film centers around a tense and morally complex situation where a black family experiences a terrifying night when a white intruder enters their home. The narrative delves into themes of race, truth, and survival, prompting audiences to question what they would do in a similar predicament.

Alison Stewart introduces the film with a gripping synopsis:

"In a new psychological film, a father faces the unimaginable. A strange intruder enters his home in the dead of the night, where his wife and daughters, including a newborn baby girl, are asleep upstairs. Then when he asks the intruder to leave, she doesn't. What would you do in that situation?" (00:09)

Overview of "The Knife"

"The Knife" follows the story of Chris (played by Nnamdi Asomugha), whose life is upended when an intruder breaks into his home. The family's immediate reaction is to call 911, but as the police arrive, the wife makes a pivotal decision that sets off a chain of events with profound consequences.

A review from Slant Magazine is highlighted:

"With 'The Knife,' writer and director Nnamdi Asamwah turns a night of domestic crisis into a taut moral thriller about the slipperiness of truth." (00:45)

In-Depth Discussion with Nnamdi Asomugha and Mark Duplass

Exploring Themes and Inspiration

Nnamdi Asomugha discusses the primary themes he aimed to explore in the film:

"I wanted it to be thrilling, exciting, intense... but also a deeper sort of meditation on race and masculinity and class. Who gets to make decisions and choices in society..." (01:47)

He emphasizes that every character's choices in the film have significant consequences, weaving a complex narrative about truth and survival.

Mark Duplass shares insights into the collaborative writing process:

"I started writing this movie at the beginning of the pandemic, watching the Black Lives Matter movement and thinking about interactions between black communities and the police." (13:19)

His personal experiences and observations heavily influenced the film's direction, particularly the portrayal of the family's fear and the wife's critical decision.

Scriptwriting and Thrillers

When discussing the importance of details in crafting a thriller involving a police investigation, Mark Duplass highlights the necessity of authenticity and maintaining the audience's engagement:

"If you want people to watch the movie and like it, I think it helps... keeping my movies small helps maintain creative control." (03:14)

He explains the decision to set the film predominantly in one location to focus on interpersonal dynamics and manage production constraints effectively.

Directorial Debut and Learning Process

Nnamdi Asomugha speaks about his journey into directing:

"There's so much information on YouTube and just online on how it takes to learn this craft." (06:53)

He credits online resources and the collaborative efforts with Mark Duplass for honing his directorial skills, emphasizing a feeling-based approach rather than technical mastery.

Casting Choices and Representation

The casting process aimed to subvert traditional racial dynamics often seen in similar films. Nnamdi Asomugha explains the intentional decision to diversify the portrayal of law enforcement in the film:

"When I was a kid... there is a cop that is constantly harassing the black kids... but the cop was black. It was a move that John Singleton made that I think really, really got behind the truth." (16:22)

This choice was made to reflect a more nuanced perspective on race and power dynamics, breaking away from predictable stereotypes.

Clip from "The Knife"

A poignant clip from the film is featured, capturing the immediate aftermath of the intrusion. The tension is palpable as the family communicates with emergency services, grappling with the unfolding crisis.

Chris: "We need an ambulance right away to McCullough and Simpson. Somebody just broke into my house. Please. Kendra, I don't know, but she's on the ground bleeding to death, man. Please hurry." (12:29)

This scene sets the emotional and psychological stakes of the film, highlighting the family's desperation and fear.

Audience and Character Analysis

Mark Duplass reflects on the decision to leave certain elements vague, allowing the audience to engage more deeply with the narrative:

"There is less of that now... trust and the faith to pull away the modern trappings of the thriller and go to something much more simple and allow the audience the space to move around and find their own truth inside of it." (19:42)

Nnamdi Asomugha adds that understanding the circumstances behind a character's lies is crucial for meaningful storytelling:

"What always interests me is not that people lie, but understanding the circumstances that forced them into a lie." (15:10)

This approach fosters a more empathetic and introspective viewing experience, encouraging audiences to consider the complexities of truth and safety.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Alison Stewart reiterates the film's powerful themes and the collaborative efforts behind its creation. Mark Duplass and Nnamdi Asomugha express their gratitude to the listeners and share their excitement for the film's release.

Mark Duplass: "Thanks for having us." (21:36)
Nnamdi Asamwag: "It was great." (21:37)

"The Knife" promises to be a thought-provoking and intense addition to the genre, blending personal narratives with broader societal issues.

Key Quotes with Timestamps

• Nnamdi Asomugha on Themes: "It's all about choices and consequences." (02:56)
• Mark Duplass on Writing the Thriller: "I wanted to keep it in one location to focus on interpersonal dynamics." (05:07)
• Alison Stewart on Director Insights: "Nnamdi represents those who learn directing without formal education." (06:53)
• Mark Duplass on Audience Engagement: "We wanted the audience to find their own truth inside the film." (19:42)

---

"The Knife" is set to open in theaters on August 15, 2025. For those interested in exploring deep-seated themes through an intense psychological lens, this film is poised to offer a compelling cinematic experience.

---

Note: Timestamps are referenced in the summary for clarity and attribution based on the provided transcript.

Transcript

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

Foreign.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. In a new psychological film, a father faces the unimaginable. A strange intruder enters his home in the dead of the night, where his wife and daughters, including a newborn baby girl, are asleep upstairs. Then when he asks the intruder to leave, she doesn't. What would you do in that situation? This is the plot of the Knife. In this instance, the intruder is a white woman. The family is black. After hearing a loud noise, his wife Alexandra and his daughters Kendra and Riley rush downstairs. The intruder is unconscious with a knife nearby. Everybody is shaken, so they call 911. The family wants to get their story straight before the police arrive, but. But as they arrive, the wife makes a decision that could affect the trajectory of the family's lives. A review in Slant magazine says. With the Knife, writer and director Nnamdi Asamwah turns a night of domestic crisis into a taught moral thriller about the slipperiness of truth. The Knife opens in theaters tomorrow. Joining us now to discuss it is its producer, director and actor Nande Asmoah, who stars in the film as Chris. Hey, Nandi.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

Hey, Elson. How are you?

[Alison Stewart]

I'm doing well. And also joining us is Mark Duplass, who co wrote the film alongside with alongside him. Mark, welcome back.

[Mark Duplass]

Hey, Alison, what's up?

[Alison Stewart]

It's all going forward. Namdi, what were the particular themes that you wanted to explore when you were writing this film?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

First of all, let me say that was a great setup for the film. I hadn't heard it described that way and I felt like I was watching it for the first time. So that was very great. Thank you for that. I think the themes, you know, I always wanted it to be, you know, chief for me, it's, it's entertainment. So I wanted it to be thrilling. I wanted it to be exciting, intense and all of those things. But then I also wanted there to be this deeper sort of meditation on race and masculinity and class. And I think who gets to, to make decisions and choices in society and all of those things. And there was always meant to be a bigger conversation that came from it. I think early on in the film, there's voiceover where you hear the character saying that the film is basically about choices and consequences. And I think for me, with every character as we were writing it by design, they make a choice that has a pretty detrimental consequence in the way the rest of the night plays out. So all of those themes came together for this one for me.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Martha, two of you wrote this together. And I'm curious about when you're writing a thriller and you're writing something that involves a police investigation, how important are the details? When you're writing a script that involves the thriller aspect and the police investigation.

[Mark Duplass]

Aspect of it, turns out they're important. If you want people to watch the movie and like it, I think it helps. But, you know, I think that Paramount for. For me, because I sort of kicked off a very, very rough first draft of this thing. And Paramount for me was, you know, creating something that I felt like could be done very successfully in 80 minutes. It could be done, you know, predominantly in one location. I really, really like the idea of keeping my movies as. As these little chamber pieces so that not only can they be made cheaply, but most importantly, they can be made independently and with sort of as few authorial voices as possible. But what was interesting to me about this script is when I. When I finished the first draft, I sort of very quickly realized that I wanted a partner who could help me make it better. And that's something I've done with my brother Jay throughout my whole life. You know, we have this partnership. We've been making movies since we were kids, but lately I've been wanting to do something different. I want to partner with different people and I want to make new friends and I want to tell different kinds of stories. And so I brought this to Namdi because I really wanted him to act in it. And he had so many good ideas and so much good feedback about the script and where we could add nuance and where it could be more subtle and we could change this character from a man into a woman. And it became very clear to me that this was going to be my partner.

[Alison Stewart]

That's so interesting. 1. You said a lot there, but one thing I focused in on, you wanted to keep it in one location, in one room. Mark, why was that?

[Mark Duplass]

Well, you know, I really like chamber pieces because to me, they focus on interpersonal dynamics and faces. And these are the things that I'm obsessed with, you know, And I think that as movies get bigger and bigger and bigger, I like to get smaller and smaller and smaller. That's just my personal taste. But there's a pragmatic element to that as well, which is when you're trying to make work in an industry that's very difficult to make work in right now and maybe are risk averse to some of these kinds of themes that Nnamdi was discussing. If you're going to do those kinds of movies, you Need a massive movie star or two in the lead. You need a lot of money.

[Alison Stewart]

And.

[Mark Duplass]

And I like to design things so that they can be made as cheaply as possible, really, so that we can maintain the creative control. And so with that in mind, I sort of decided to set this thing all inside of this one house.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

Yeah, I was going to say there's no way that we would have shot in the time that we shot. If there were multiple locations, we wouldn't have gotten it done. We wouldn't have raised the financing. I think when we finished the script, we were shooting four months later, that would have never happened. So it was a great decision.

[Alison Stewart]

Nambi, you wear multiple hats for the knife, and it's your directorial debut. Who did you consult to try to understand what it means to be a director? You've been an actor before, been an actor on Broadway. You've been an actor in films. But I'm curious who you talk to.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

YouTube. What? That was where I learned how to direct. There's actually, you know, all jokes aside, there's so much information on YouTube and just online on how it. What it takes to learn this craft. And, you know, I speak. When I. When I speak to audiences about the film, especially filmmakers, I let them know that I'm representing those of you that did not go to school for this, that don't understand the technical language, that can't tell you what type of camera we're going to use for this or this lens or how this setup should look. You know, I represent those of us that just go on feeling, and I think that's how I approach this. What are the movies that I loved? What are some of the performance? How do I sort of meld all of that together and get what we got? So, for me, the consultation was just as many videos and as many interviews as I could possibly find that could tell me what to do. And, you know, the great benefit was having Mark, who's done this for many years and done it at such a high level, to just be able to bounce things off of. And we did that for so long. It really helped out in the end.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. Mark, of course, people know you as a director, but what aspects of the script, as a writer, were helpful for the director as he's building out this world?

[Mark Duplass]

I think for me, you know, when I started to discuss the idea with Nnamdi of him possibly directing this, which he was resistant to at first, by the way, but I was like, you are the architect of this movie. Now, at a certain point, that first loose Draft that came into my hands, passed over into Nnamdi's hands, and before you know it, we've switched seats and he's really in the driver's seat. And I had this innate confidence in Nnamdi because, look, yes, he's a freshman director here, but he's also really like a fifth time senior as a filmmaker. He's produced a bunch of incredible films. But more importantly than that, you know, I had this journey where I used to be a musician, and then in my late 20s, I moved over into filmmaking and everything I learned as a film, as a musician, you know, about the creative process and how to handle myself, it all transferred in interesting ways. And for those of you who don't know, you know, Nnamdi had an illustrious career as, as an NFL football player. And he has a way of, and a maturity, knowing how to listen to people, knowing how to seek out excellence, and a discipline to him that he's learned from everything he's been through. So he's not your average first time filmmaker in that way. And it was really, it was really obvious to me that all the things he had learned and that maturity level was gonna make him, was gonna make him great.

[Alison Stewart]

And he was Namdi. I have to tell you, there's a guy on our staff who was so psyched you were gonna be a guest.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

From football. I can't even tell you.

[Alison Stewart]

How did you strike the balance nominee between producing, acting, writing and directing? You can't give them like a quarter each, but how'd you find the balance?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

Yeah, there's a lot of compartmentalization that has to go on. But also, I think as a director and an actor, it really serves you because you're telling the same story. And I feel like from producing, you're talking about financing, you're talking about everything else, but specifically as director, actor, it helps. I had a great team around me, I gotta be honest, I went to every single head of the department. So whether it's production design, cinematography, hair, makeup, you know, whatever it is. And I told them, you guys run with your ideas, bring them back to me, and best idea wins. So I wanted them to sort of bring their own personal attributes to whatever their role was. And for me, that helped so much because I didn't have to worry as much about all the other facets. They were going to bring what they had and we were going to move forward, you know, in that way. So it really took a lot off my shoulders just having a great team around me, and it made it, I would say, A little easier than most people would think.

[Alison Stewart]

A new psychological drama film follows a young black family subject to a police investigation after an intruder enters their home. It's titled the Knife and it opens in theaters tomorrow. Director and actor and producer Nnamdi Asamwa stars in the film. He's joining us alongside co writer Mark Duplass. Let's listen to a clip from the film. This is moments after Chris's wife and their daughters have come downstairs and they see what's going on. And Chris calls 911. This is from the Knife.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

She broke in on calling the cops. Wait, what?

[Mark Duplass]

What happened?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

I just told you. She broke in, I came, and she was standing right there.

[Alison Stewart]

911, what's your emergency?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

We need an ambulance right away to McCullough and Simpson. Somebody just broke into my house. Please. Kendra, I don't know, but she's on the ground bleeding to death, man. Please hurry. Is she dead? Don't touch her.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay. How did she get on the ground?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. We just need a ambulance. Listen to me. There's a woman dying on my kitchen floor. Mom.

[Alison Stewart]

Is she dead?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

Riley, I swear to God.

[Alison Stewart]

What's your address, sir?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

1220 McCullough Street.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, an ambulance. Identities are on the way. Is there anyone else in the home with you? We're not going to give too much away, but we will say that the wife makes a decision. She makes a decision before the cops get there. Why does she feel that the truth is not enough? Mark.

[Mark Duplass]

Really great question. That's a really complicated question. You know, I started writing this movie sitting inside of my office at the beginning of the pandemic. And we were watching the Black Lives Matter movement, and we were watching what was happening inside of the black communities with the police. And I grew up in New Orleans, you know, where I was driving drunk at 15 years old around and. And got pulled over. And I got away with so many things. And I always think about that. And I think that Alexandra, who plays the wife in this, has an awareness of what optics look like, of when someone walks into a home with a black family and sees a white woman on the floor and she is nervous and there is evidence to support those nerves. And I can certainly identify with the lengths I would go to to protect my family. So that was a swirling pot that sort of led to that move.

[Alison Stewart]

Namdi, do you want to answer that question as well?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

I just want to give Mark a little more credit than he's given himself. I think in this script, I think one of the first things that jumped out at me was that he was really in tune to sort of how society, how it is. Like, he understood to me very clearly that the system doesn't allow for certain people to feel like they're safe or like they can be honest. And like they're. They feel like there's no way that they can win, and they have to be, you know, sort of tricky sometimes and subvert the truth in order to feel safe. And it really jumped out at me from the script and. And he just put together a beautiful. Just a really strong character study. And I think, for me, she does make some choices that, you know, some people will. You know, some people will raise an eyebrow, too. But what. What always interests me is not that people lie, but understanding the circumstances that forced them into a lie. And. And as I was reading the script, that kept jumping out at me and was like, okay, we need to find the ways to sort of enhance that and really stay on this topic. Because what Mark started was really very beautifully done. So just to give him a little more credit than he's gonna give himself there, Namdi.

[Alison Stewart]

We see that the intruder is white, but the cops who show up. Manny Jacinto, who's Asian, plays an officer, and Melissa Leo, who is white, plays the detective. What thoughts went into the physical characterist that you were going to cast these roles? Were they always that way?

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

No, no, I. You know, sometimes you. You write roles and you. You. You aren't thinking gender, and you're just like, okay, you're not thinking sort of race. You're just like, let me get these characters out. The detective we started off, that was a male character. Melissa Leo's performances and all of her films, specifically this movie Flight by Bob Zemeckis. And the way she turns up in the last, you know, five minutes of the film, and she's sort of interrogating and questioning Denzel Washington and really getting him to the truth. And I knew that that was important for this role, and so she kept flashing my mind. So that was a very simple switch to make her. To make this character a woman, and then in terms of Manny and just having cops that were all races. You know, we've seen the films where it's the white cop and the. And the black family, and we know exactly how it's going to turn out. But when I was a kid, one of the films that really shaped my movie experience in my life, the first film I ever saw in a theater was who Framed Roger Rabbit? Which is another Bob Zemeckis film. And the second film I saw in a theater was Boys in the Hood.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, wow.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

And. And I was a very little kid and my aunt, you know, snuck us into the movie theaters, which she shouldn't have. But I remember leaving the theater and asking her, are you sure this wasn't real? Are you sure this one's. You know, I grew up in la, and I know that it felt like a true story, but the other thing that stuck out to me from that film was there is a cop that is constantly harassing the black kids in the neighborhood. You know, Cuba getting Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube. And he continually is harassing them. He shows up a few times in the film and it struck me that the cop was black. And it was a move that John Singleton made that I think really, really got behind the truth of this, you know, cops versus, you know, people of color sort of thing. Which is it. It wasn't always about race. There was a thing about power and control and, you know, who's wearing the big pants in the situation, you know what I mean? And so for me, when it came to casting this, it was a. I hate to say colorblind, but I think I was a little more conscious of the fact that I've seen this done without the straight white cops, like we usually do. And the brilliance of John Singleton in that moment sort of led to the casting of Manny and some of the other cops in this.

[Alison Stewart]

Mark, we don't actually know why the woman ended up on the floor. What does that do to you, for you as a filmmaker, to let us, the audience, fill in the blanks?

[Mark Duplass]

Well, you know, sometimes that works really, really well in a movie and sometimes it doesn't. And you have to have a very deft hand as a director in order to make you feel like you're being cared for. So I'm always nervous to have these sort of, well, you interpret it. Audience moments in movies, because if they're not cared for, then it just looks like you really don't know what you're doing. And that was one of the things that I really loved going through post production with Nnamdi on this movie. And, you know, this is a thriller, this is a tight 80 minute thriller. And it started with a lot of the trappings of that. You know, there was some pretty heavy score. You could feel it. And then slowly but surely, Nnamdi started to trust himself and the story and the cinema and started pulling everything away. And that feeling he just told you about was, boyz, n the Hood, real or not, I think is imbued in this movie. Very little score. The tension is so incredibly thick, it almost feels like a documentary at times. And Nambi and I just watched this in a theater full of people in Los Angeles a couple of days ago, and I've never seen anything like it. It was gasps and it was. Then it was loud and it was, it was an interactive experience with the screen. And I think that there's. There's less of that now, I guess, is what I want to say. And it ties back to why we wanted to make this thing independently, was to have the trust and the faith to, to pull away the modern trappings of the thriller and go to something much more, much more simple and allow the audience the space to move around and find their own truth inside of it.

[Alison Stewart]

The name of the film is the Knife. It opens in theaters tomorrow. Namdi and Mark, thank you so much for your time today.

[Mark Duplass]

Thanks for having us.

[Nnamdi Asamwah]

It was great.

[Alison Stewart]

Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. In addition to this award winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.