High-Rise is a film adaptation of a J. G. Ballard novel, which I have absolutely no desire to read. High-Rise is about a group of residents who live in a tower, and the floor that each person lives on is a reflection of the resident’s socioeconomic status. Initially the tower is like a luxury because it has everything that a resident would need and want within it: a supermarket, a spa, a gym and a school, but the tower and the residents degenerate into dysfunctional, isolated and chaotic versions of their former selves.
High-Rise is a dystopian future set in the past: a parallel version of Margaret Thatcher’s 1975 Britain. High-Rise illustrates the extremes of society under her rule, complete with garbage lining the hall and visual references to the excesses of Versailles, specifically the Hameau de la Reine, and the ensuing French revolution. Philosophy lovers may love this Hobbesian view of human nature at war with the Rousseau pose as depicted in High-Rise, but I found it overly long, repetitive and self-indulgent.
High-Rise feels like a self-conscious play that will never end despite the strong visuals, i.e. who doesn’t want to see Tom Hiddleston in various states of dress-dancing in a suit with a bunch of stewardesses in the hall-or undress sunbathing on his balcony. High-Rise is so conscious of its MESSAGE (reference to Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood) that it failed to captivate the audience with a good story. The message of High-Rise is that all of us get trapped by and become an instrument of the ills of society because we operate within this system and cannot ever change it because we have no concept that there are other options or there is an outside. We are most susceptible to this phenomenon when we indulge our desires as dictated by this society.
I do not blame High-Rise’s cast for this heavy-handed film. They really work tirelessly. I adore Jeremy Irons, and he has been working a lot lately. Sienna Miller exudes sexiness. James Purefoy brings his sense of violent mischief that he perfected in The Following. Ultimately Luke Evans’ take on masculinity and dynamism overshadows them all. Oliver Reed inspired his performance, and I enjoyed Reed’s performance in David Cronenberg’s The Brood. Poor Evans has been in some of my least favorite films: The Raven, The Hobbit trilogy, Dracula Untold. Can someone hook him up with Tom Hardy’s agent? We are missing out on something special.
Skip High-Rise and do a double feature of Snowpiercer and David Cronenberg’s Shivers instead. On the other hand, if you enjoy philosophy and do enjoy High-Rise, check out Cosmopolis-another movie I did not enjoy.