The Watchlist
High-Rise is an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, directed by Ben Wheatley (A Field in England ). The film had its World Premiere at TIFF last year and stars Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, and Keeley Hawes.
HIGH-RISE stars Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Moss); and Mr. Royal (Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.
Screenwriter Amy Pond could really relate to the film’s source material saying “I recall nothing but anxiety when I think about growing up in London during the late 70’s. I watched the grown-ups have their messy fun and wondered where is would all end. There are people with a greater understanding of Ballard’s philosophical and formalistic intentions but I know what it’s like to get lost in that building. Some of the echoes that reverberate through the defunct heating ducts of the film are mine but the High-Rise was of course built by Mr. J.G Ballard.”
High-Rise is rated 18A.