Director Ben Wheatley has made plenty of dark and eccentric horror/art-house titles (including The Kill List, Sightseers and A Field in England). His latest, High-Rise, is adapted from the cult 70s J.G. Ballard novel of the same name. It’s much larger in scale and scope than all the filmmaker’s previous titles combined. The book has been called “unfilmable” by many and has suffered through decades of stalled attempts to bring it to the screen. So how does the long-gestating production fare?
The majority of the story is contained within a large condominium complex with every convenience. Dr. Laing (Tom Hiddleston) is a physiologist at a nearby university, specializing in brain surgery. He moves in, hoping to find anonymity in the block like apartments. It doesn’t last for long. As he meets the numerous residents and is befriended by building architect Royal (Jeremy Irons), he soon finds himself caught up in a microcosm of society on the verge of implosion.
For me, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The movie is stuffed with ideas and themes that are very relevant. This condo has everything for everyone, including a grocery store, gym, pool and spa. Yet despite Royal’s hope for a new utopia, a social hierarchy has already formed. The wealthy live on the upper floors while the poorer tenants struggle on the lower levels. When electricity and other basic functions start acting up, maintenance is focused on providing for the decadent lifestyles of the rich tenants.
Naturally, the disparity leads to a strange competition of sorts. The upper class characters seek to reinforce their superior status, be it with a fancy dress party or by pitting the lower-levels against one another. Meanwhile, the struggling residents begin engaging in angry acts of rebellion. As one might imagine, events turn cruel (a warning to viewers, you’re going to see some pretty nasty stuff). Laing finds himself influenced by and caught somewhere between the two classes.
The movie has an interesting 70s-style production design, emphasizing the cool, grey cement walls. And Wheatley uses mirrors and glass frequently. The duplicitous nature of characters and their inner desires are frequently referenced visually by use of reflections. Of course, as events proceed anger and violence rise, surfaces crack and shatter repeatedly. There’s another disturbing cue that stands out – we see the doctor give a lesson and peel off the subject’s “facial mask”. Heck, even a kaleidoscope gets used at one point. It’s a bit obvious at times, but does make for some striking imagery.
Yet, while the ideas and pictures are effective, the characters aren’t quite as engaging. Make no mistake, it has nothing to do with the actors. It’s literally the volume of roles. We follow an astounding number of residents that include an upstairs neighbor/socialite and her quirky young son, a documentary filmmaker and his pregnant, depressed wife, a psychiatrist, a famous actress, a newscaster, a bullying security guard, a snooty businessman, staff workers, a maintenance foreman, an orthodontist, a retired barrister and medical student. And that’s only scratching the surface. They are essayed by exceptional performers (Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elizabeth Moss among many others). Yet with so many people popping in and out of the story, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of who everyone is.
As events devolve into ugliness, we’re not quite as invested as we should be. Several of the characters are reduced to a few lines and the movie becomes a series of lengthy montages that inter-cut their actions. One could argue that the chaotic nature and editing helps emphasize the sense of madness, absurdity and satire, but it feels repetitive after the second or third break. The technique limits the dramatic impact of the characters, and as such doesn’t seem to carry as much emotional weight as it should. I wish that some of the roles had been amalgamated so that there wasn’t so much jumping around.
As mentioned, I think the subject matter is bold and challenging and I admire the attempt to bring this story to life. This was always going to be a tough sell and the end product certain to turn off more viewers than it would impress. Even still, some streamlining and simplifications could have helped this adaptation tremendously. First impressions suggest that High-Rise has its icy heart in the right place, but is too overstuffed to really make a more powerful impact.