The film High-Rise was released in 2015. He made a strong impression on the audience, because the film was filled with vulgar, harsh and frightening scenes.
It all starts with the fact that the main character, Dr. Lang, played by Tom Hiddleston, moves into a multi-storey building. And everything seems just wonderful, because there is everything: a school, a garden, a swimming pool, a gym and a massage room. The house has a gradation according to the wealth of the residents – the poor live on the lower floors, and the rich live on the highest floors.
On the first day, Dr. Lang goes to a party where he meets several interesting characters: a young woman, Charlotte, who has a young son, Helen Vader, this woman also has children, besides, she is pregnant at the time of the story. The third character is Helen’s husband – Richard, it is noteworthy that we learn about his love for Charlotte.
The next day, Dr. Lang goes to a meeting with the architect of this skyscraper – Anthony Royal, he lives on the 44th floor. Then we learn about his wife, who has her own garden and even a horse. She also loves 19th century style parties.
The meaning of the film High-Rise directed by Ben Wheatley
At the same time, Richard comes to Charlotte and they have intimate intimacy. The next scene – Lang came to a party at Anthony’s wife, however, he did not know about the dress code and appeared there in a regular suit. The main character is ridiculed and kicked out of the event. What follows is a lot of interesting and disturbing scenes.
On the lower floors, the electricity is cut off, it turns out that because of someone, the garbage chute is clogged. At a children’s birthday party, the children are kicked out of the pool, Richard goes to find out what happened. After that, the rich leave the party, and the dog drowns in the pool, her mistress begins to sob. Richard takes drugs at one of the parties and fights with the bouncer. After that, the dancing continues. Munro is present at this party, and Dr. Lang had discovered something in his brain the previous day. He gets drunk and falls out the window onto a convertible.
In the morning, Richard knocks on Lang’s door and says he wants to make a documentary about Munro. At this time, the rich decide who to make extreme in what is happening. Further events become more intense. Richard leaves his wife, and Royal is abandoned by his wife. The store, which is located in a high-rise building, is empty. Richard is beaten up by rich people, and Robert fights with other shoppers over the last wall paint.
Dr. Lang becomes intimate with Helen, who is still pregnant. And Royal is having sex with his wife’s friend, at which point Ann is holding her hand. At this time, it is learned that Bobby is the son of the Architect. Richard wants to know where Royal lives and beats up Charlotte because of it. Lang writes Wilder a prescription because he misses his wife very much.
The next scene looks alarming, laundry is being washed in the pool, and in the background of what is happening there are many dead and still alive, but wounded people. Helen is kidnapped to be a cleaner on the upper floors, where she gives birth. Lang is threatened with being thrown off the balcony because he refuses to lobotomize Wilder. Royal saves the situation, he does not want Lang’s death, because then no one will play squash with him.
At the end of the film, Richard kills Royald. And then he himself is killed by women who were surrounded by the Architect. It all ends with a contented Lang sitting by the fire roasting a dog’s leg. He shares a piece of food with Charlotte.
It may seem that the film looks absurd and meaningless. But it’s not. In High-Rise, the filmmakers open their eyes to the degradation of society. It seems that people have become more civilized, but the animal essence in them does not sleep and is looking for a way out. Various vices lead to the collapse of society – greed, lust, lack of morality.
Moreover, society is degrading in absolutely different strata, which is why they show us a skyscraper where there was a place for all classes of society – from the poor to the rich.
None of the main characters in the film seem likeable. And even in the main character they were able to reflect one very important feature of the middle class – silence. Many people turn a blind eye to the outrages that the rich create, the problems that affect the lower in the standard of living. Silence = silent complicity, this is shown to us through the prism of Dr. Lang’s life, yes, he did not kill or rape anyone, but he did not even try to intervene, turning a blind eye to what was happening.
