He may not like film critics all that much, but we loved Ben Wheatley‘s High-Rise when it premiered at TIFF last year. As the review went, “This thing is dense, wild, hilarious, timelessly prescient, and a feast for eyes and ears. I’m not sure ten viewings would be enough to even start recognizing each detail of set, characters, or plot.” That was just one man’s opinion, sure, but said opinion was strong enough to get the rest of us itching to see this thing.
Being that there have been plenty of opportunities to take peeks at High-Rise in the past several months, and it’s about a month-and-a-half until U.S. audiences are served the whole thing, a new trailer and multiple clips might seem like a bit much. (This is especially true if you’re like me and hope to avoid any shred of footage, .gifs included.) Those with an interest in Wheatley can indulge, then, with two video interviews that have been included, as well as Creative Review‘s exploration of the many efforts that went into fully shaping High-Rise‘s design.
See all below:
Synopsis:
High-Rise stars Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Moss); and Mr. Royal (Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war. High-Rise is the latest film by cult British director Ben Wheatley (Kill List, A Field in England), an ambitious adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name.
High-Rise opens in the U.K. this week and hits the U.S. on April 28.