“High-Rise,” the new black comedy from director Ben Wheatley based on a book by J.G. Ballard, is a totally bonkers story of an apartment building on the outskirts of London in the 1970s. As basic services start to degrade inside the tower, civil society collapses in on itself in apocalyptic fashion, and the movie follows along, not always coherently, as the building’s various social castes go to war with one another. Though I enjoyed it immensely I recognize that not everyone with good taste will like it—Wheatley is less interested in telling a moral tale than exploring how easily social strife can unleash depravity. Even if this is not your cup of tea, you might still be able to appreciate the image above, an alternative poster, that, in my opinion, is one of the most subtle and richly comic designs that I can remember seeing for a film in a long time. Instant classic.

“High Rise” is in limited release now but also available for rent via iTunes.

https://youtu.be/qYEawT-xw2A