MOVIE REVIEW: High-Rise

High-Rise (2016)

Drama

Directed By: Ben Wheatley

Dystopian storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to get a point across, if done right. FIlms like They Live!, Repo Man, and Children of Men get across a profound message about the societal age they are reflecting, What happens though when you take a story of dystopia from our past and give it to us in the present? Do the problems feel old and outdated or have we grown so little in some ways that the story feels as fresh today as it did back in, say, 1975? Director Ben Wheatley's adaptation of the J.G. Ballard book High-Rise asks us these questions as we watch a 1970's apartment building slowly descend into madness. 

Dr. Laing (Tom Hiddleston) has just moved into a new flat in a state of the art high-rise building designed by famed architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons). It's to be the living space of the future, with all of their commodities available inside the building. From grocery stores to swimming pools this new way of living offers little need to go out into the real world. This idea spreads like wildfire in the minds of its tenants and in just a few months class warfare and a disassociation from reality leads the people to devolve into violent chaos. Closed off from the world the occupants of this high-rise experience first hand the high and lows of a caste system. 

Though the story takes place in the 70's, much of what occurs throughout feels like it could happen just as easily today. Aside from the blaring aesthetics of the film (Wheatley made sure to let us know this is the 70's) the story could have easily taken place in present time without changing much of the plot. The high-rise building is basically a mega-tower from the Dredd universe, just on a smaller scale and the mechanics of life inside don't differ all that much. The authorities don't come when tragedy occurs and the people on the top more or less control those who live on the bottom. 

In a day and age where we can get literally anything delivered to our doorstep, the idea of the changing mentality of humans when the need to leave their homes dies seems more present than ever. Confined to the forty floors of this building the residents create their own system of living that is both progressive and regressive at the same time. While the core idea of the building is a giant leap forward the execution of it is complete regression into the age of class society. So much so that a large group of the elite on the top floors even dress in victorian age attire, as if to say they are the aristocrats of the modern age.

Tom Hiddleston leads an impressive cast as the main character Dr. Laing and as usual puts forth an incredible performance. We are sold on this world through the eyes of Laing and its Hiddleston's performance that brings it home. Populating the supporting characters around him are some wonderful talents as well, like Elisabeth Moss as the pregnant single mother Helen. Next to Hiddleston though Luke Evans gives the best performance of the film as Wilder, a slightly crazed filmmaker. His descent into madness is the most tracked throughout the story and what he brings to the character is what sells it all. 

I personally have not read the book on which this movie is based, but from what I have gathered the violence and depravity are key parts there as well. From the way the movie opens up and with Wheatley's past films being used as a basis I was expecting there to be more death and gore than we were given. Not that it takes away from the film though as the point is to show how these people got there, rather than what happens when they did. Also, when violence does happen you can be sure it is in a brutal fashion as we have come to expect from Mr. Wheatley.

The use of music in this film must be commended as well, the way he uses unfamiliar renditions of popular music and how he syncs it up with side by side events happening within the building is a large part of what sucked me into the story. That, and the insane visual beauty that was created to give this film a proper period feel. The story is set in the 1970's and aesthetically you are reminded of this throughout. From the film's use of color down to the wardrobe of each class it is blatantly clear where in time this story is taking place. 

The movie hooked me from the opening scene and kept me totally engaged for the entire two hours that came after. If you allow yourself to be swept up into this crazy world than you will take a ride through the madness of the human condition that rings just as true today as it did back in 1975. Wheatley has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most unique voices in film and High-Rise is no exception. My only regret is that I missed this on the big screen, it is a such a beautiful film visually that seeing it on a massive screen would have only improved my experience that much more. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!