At what point does a house become a home? Is it the walls, the people who inhabit them, or simply the price someone is willing to pay for them? And, more unsettlingly, is there really a price tag attached to everything and everyone?
The verdict
Last Man In Tower, starring Manoj Bajpayee , wastes little time in putting these uncomfortable questions front and centre. Packed into a crisp one-and-a-half-hour runtime, the film turns a straightforward story about a building and its residents into an exploration of greed. Director Ben Rekhi retains the essence of Aravind Adiga’s novel while keeping the adaptation focused and to the point. Instead, its visual language makes it feel as though we are quietly peeking through a peephole, observing the residents of Vishram and their lives without ever intruding upon them. And it’s intriguing. After all, what’s more compelling than watching humans simply be human? The first half sets the tone very well. The story flows well and makes you look forward to the conclusion of this increasingly dark story. The second half dips a teeny bit, but that’s okay. Instead, it shows how easily the common man can be pushed into uncomfortable places when money enters the picture. What begins as a story about selling a building gradually becomes an unsettling examination of what people are willing to sacrifice for a better life. And by the time the credits roll, the film leaves you with one uncomfortable thought: perhaps the real price of a home isn’t what someone is willing to pay for it, but what you are willing to give up to keep it.
Because the director shows you the aftermath of it all, the climax of the film leaves you startled and lingers, especially. Because it doesn’t reduce greed to a simple battle between good and bad, overall, Last Man In Tower works.
The film rarely feels like something being staged or “filmed” for our consumption.
