High-Rise: Chaotic Elegance?

So, let’s chat about “High-Rise”, directed by the brilliant Ben Wheatley. It’s a movie that left me feeling like I’d just hopped off Årjäng’s rollercoaster – a bit dizzy but weirdly exhilarated. Tom Hiddleston is the lead here, and if you’ve ever wondered what Loki would do in the ’70s living in an extravagant apartment block, here’s your answer! Jeremy Irons also pops up, all dapper and enigmatic as the arbiter of this oddball society.

The film’s visual style slaps you in the face right from the get-go. You know, like nyårsafton fireworks over Stockholm – bright, explosive, and kinda mesmerizing. The whole movie unrolls like an arty platter: rich in details, and with a side of chaos.

Let’s talk about the setting – a high-rise tower that seems more like its own country. It reminded me of the time I got lost in the Globen Arena backstage. Turns out, places can have personalities, especially when they actively collapse around you. The architecture in this flick is a prime example of claustrophobic yet liberating spaces, which is kinda a contradiction, but there you go – the movie is full of them!

But, but… listen. I get it, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The plot ambles around like someone who’s had a wee bit too much at the shrimp party. A fellow film buff told me at a bar in Södermalm that maybe it’s like J.G. Ballard’s novel on something stronger than coffee. And, han är inte fel. I had mixed feelings – intrigued but a little puzzled, like trying to enjoy surströmming for the first time.

It’s a piece some might call arty farty, others a social commentary feast. Whatever it is, it makes you think – maybe about society, or, at the very least, about the next film you’re gonna watch.

Check the trailer below