Welcome To 1984: Seven dystopian fiction films to help grasp our political climate

High Rise (Netflix)

A new brutalist high-rise building has risen on the outskirts of London, full of enough modern conveniences that you’d never want to leave if you had a place there. And sure enough, the residents don’t, and when their fragile artificial ecosystem begins to fail, all hell breaks loose. For many people, High Rise was the coming-out party for British director Ben Wheatley, which offered a glimpse at both his brilliant stylistic quirks and impressive talents, bolstered by a brilliant cast. An adaptation of J. G. Ballard’s masterly novel, Wheatley manages to capture the beautifully cynical nature of the text, and also preserve it’s wickedly dark and understated sense of humor. It was coldly received when it hit theaters last year, but it’s got enough merit to warrant a watch. Hell, you might even like it, you filthy animals.