Five films into his dark, brooding and critically acclaimed career behind the lens, Ben Wheatley has shot to the top of the list of British directors you daren’t take your eye off. His latest, High-Rise, takes place in the socio-political cauldron of west London circa 1975, all contained within the four concrete walls of a monolithic residential tower block.
Built and sustained by the big wigs at Anthony Royal Architecture, a fictional conglomerate that favors profit over home comforts, these towering eyesores have been explored throughout the course of the film’s less-is-more marketing campaign, with Anthony Royal painting the sky-scrapping abode as a utopian haven. That’s about as far removed from reality as you could imagine.
In today’s teaser for Wheatley’s latest creative effort, Tom Hiddleston is seen taking a tumble from the titular High-Rise building, all set against a frankly hellish London backdrop.
Headlining the drama as Robert Laing, Hiddleston’s wide-eyed young doctor finds himself under the spell of the building and its inhabitants, which are split between the lofty upper class at the tip top and the working class beneath them. As the days turn into weeks, Laing begins to peel back the dark and sinister layers masking the social disparity, and finds a crippling lack of moral and sanity beneath.
Also starring Jeremy Irons, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, Reece Shearsmith, Peter Ferdinando and Dan Renton Skinner, High-Rise is set for a debut in the UK on March 18, before a US theaterical release planned for shortly thereafter.
1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building’s residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighbourly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing’s good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the elevators fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea.