At the Venice Film Festival, actor Jack Huston spoke to Deadline about starring in Paul Schrader's new psychological drama The Basics of Philosophy, which explores guilt and the possibility of escaping one's past. Huston plays philosophy lecturer John Jorrison, a seemingly upstanding professor whose past as a music teacher who abused a teenage student, Miguel, resurfaces after a current student falsely threatens to blackmail him over grades. The film, Schrader's latest in a long line of morally troubled male protagonists, tackles the difficult and often avoided subject of sexual abuse and its lasting impact on victims.

The 94-minute drama also stars Daniel Zovatto as Miguel, Bill Pullman as Jorrison's powerful father who covered up the original transgression, and Sofia Boutella as a psychology professor entangled with Jorrison. Huston revealed he initially hesitated over the role, having previously said he would never play a predator involving children, and read the script seven times before agreeing to meet Schrader. He described the screenplay as among the best he has read, calling the film "masterful" and a fulfilment of a long-held wish to work with Schrader, whose credits include Taxi Driver, American Gigolo and First Reformed.