The most amazing thing about Ben Wheatley ’s High Rise is its tint . Its feeling . Some how it ’s a picture show that ’s intense , funny , shivery , disturbing , and aloof all at the same time . Sometimes though , that mixing gets very dour and makes things a piddling hard to follow .
High Rise is based on the novel by J.G. Ballard about life history in an extremist modern apartment building . Tom Hiddleston plays Robert Laing , the building ’s new occupier , with a nice place on the twenty-fifth level . He ’s a Dr. and speedily have involved in some of the construction ’s social events . Those reach from monotonous natural process like shopping or exercise , to more crazy thing like drink heavily and have an debauchery .
Everything about the world Wheatley creates is dusty . The people , the environment , it gives every action a sheen of ominous . And for a while , that ’s holding the film together because between all the party and bouts of wildness , there is n’t a very clear tale .
Then you start to see the crack . You see the class system in the building . How the wealthier people live higher and think they deserve more resources than the mass who live lower . Everyone is hugely mercenary , too . Laing is cognizant of this but also oddly perplex by it . He ’s delight what ’s move on , but also has pastime on both sides .
Eventually , a sorting of miniskirt - revolution in the high rise becomes the catalyst for things to go downhill and the motion-picture show has an blowup of madness . Very , very quick the building becomes an ultra - modern Sodom and Gomorrah , as the sex , drug , violence and death escalate and become just the way it is .
By this point , High emanation either has you or it does n’t . The film never really gives a worthy explanation of why these things take place , you just sort of have to buy it and move along . If you do that , the criticism on capitalist economy , technology , modernistic guild and more become manifest . But it never ever finger ultra cohesive and digestible .
Instead , it ’s the way Wheatley , through his performances , music choices , cinematography and editing , keeps you on the edge of your seat that makes the film funnily enjoyable . There are lots of times that you are n’t quite certain what the infernal region you ’re watching , but it ’s always fascinating
While that tone is the star of the show , the plaster bandage is also outstanding . Between this , Crimson Peak , I see the Light , and Only Lovers Left Alive , Tom Hiddleston is quietly becoming one of our most spruce , surefooted , and versatile leading men . In High Rise , he ’s a great balance of sleazy and loveable , a cat you are n’t quite sure if you like . He ’s joined by Sienna Miller , as his beautiful but loose upstair neighbour ; Elisabeth Moss , as one of the tolerant woman from the humiliated floors ; and Luke Evans as Moss ’ husband , a full lunatic who does his best to steal the movie . And just for safe metre , cast off Jeremy Irons and James Purefoy into the mixing too .
eminent Rise is a divisive , complex movie that ’s go to be ruffianly for a lot of citizenry to watch . On its most canonical level — tale — it does n’t quite work . On the other hand , the film ’s high-pitched function — theme , emotion , tone — are figure out overdrive to make something very different . In that aim , it succeeds .
mark : This inspection to begin with ran out of Fantastic Fest in September 2015 . We ’re republishing now for the theatrical waiver this calendar week .
connect with the writer at[email protected ] .
Ben WheatleyFantastic FestMovies
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
News from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
