Clever and dark, High-Rise (directed by Ben Wheatley) is a dystopia to remember. The story follows surgeon Laing (Tom Hiddleston) who moves to a tower far from civilisation. This tower has everything you need from a supermarket to a gym, but no contact with the outside world.
Laing adjusts to life at the tower and the eccentric residents with questionable backgrounds, but things start get out of control as the decadent lifestyle continues on and the class distinction becomes visible.
High-Rise is quite different and refreshing from your usual dystopian film. There’s no touch of sci-fi unless you count the very modern and new tower itself. The film seems to be set in the 70s or the world of the tower is stuck in the 70s. The film techniques create a distant but most of the time confronting feel.
The acting is brilliant that you come to hate a lot of characters, even our hero Laing whose immunity to the madness in the tower makes him questionable. The film leaves you with curiosity and definitely makes the idea to abandon society and live in an isolated tower seem like a terrifying one.
Rating score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
High-Rise screened as part of Sydney Film Festival
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