We watched The
Platform on Netflix with a bunch of HMT fans over the Chrome Netflix Party
extension and boy, I love this movie! While I am certain that lots of purists
will debate whether this is horror or not, I assure you, it’s worth the watch
and will definitely find some way to make your skin crawl. The timing of this
release makes me wonder if Netflix has a bunch of totally apropos titles just
waiting in the wings to be released whenever they are most relevant.
The Platform Synopsis
The Platform is about a
prison called the pit where there are three kinds of people; the ones above,
the ones below, and the ones who fall. This is a twisted place where every cell
contains two people and is stacked on top of a seemingly endless column of
other cells.
Every day there is a
massive banquet comprised of everyone in the prison’s favorite dish. This
banquet contains enough calories for everyone in the pit to survive. The catch
is the banquet is placed on a platform that stops at every cell for a short
time, and it starts at the top and works its way down.
Some prisoners are there
by choice, some are there because of a crime, but there seems to be a promise
that is made to all of them upon entry into the pit – if you do your time and
make it out, you will be granted increased social standing.
Our protagonist is a man
called Goreng (Ivan Massagué), who spends time with several of
the inmates of the pit. As he learns the ropes, he also seems to take issue
with the inherent societal problems that it represents: greed and desperation.
The Platform REVIEW
The Platform is a
Spanish film by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, and it’s one of the most
unique ideas that I’ve seen put to the screen since Cube.
Watch Cube on Amazon
The spiritual predecessor to The Platform
The minimal but rigid
design of the pit echos in the sci-fi dystopian walls of the film itself.
You know the sick and
twisted world that lay in the basement of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs? That terrifying
and perverse reality that we like to forget exists in the real world? That
feeling is magnified in The Platform and made the subject of the entire
movie.
To make it even more
hard-hitting, The Platform is clearly a commentary on humans and society today.
While it’s hard to draw many direct analogies with the real world, the standout
one seems to be human nature and the greed inherent therein.
The Platform is not without hope, but it is chock-full of extreme violence,
imagery, and ideas that make this a real stomach turner.
This movie stays with
me, and I wouldn’t mind watching it again. It doesn’t hold your hand, and there
is clearly a lot of theorizing that one can do to try and determine the
symbology and lessons within.
Score for The
Platform
9/10
Spoilers
The Platform does a lot of things right. It maintains
mystery, drama, tension, and is clearly meant to stand for something. Anything
that you might be interested in, this movie probably touches on it. On top of
all of that, it doesn’t hold your hand, leaving you free to interpret it’s
message or take it at face value.
In favor of spoiling the movie point by point, I will
instead share with you a few basic premises of this movie that I find the most
relevant and exciting.
The Rules of The Pit
The prison known as “the pit” is a mostly lawless place with
a few given rules. They are as follows:
- Some prisoners have opted in, others are being
punished, but upon serving your time in the pit, you will be granted elevated
social status. - Everyone is allowed to bring one item with them
to the pit. - The platform contains everyone within the prison’s
favorite meal made to perfect standards. - The platform arrives on each level containing a live
person once a day for some short amount of time. - Each set of prisoners spend one month on the level
that they are randomly assigned. If you lose your cellmate, you will be given
another upon placement next month. - At the end of a month, all prisoners are put to
sleep by gas and placed, randomly on a new level. - Anything goes within the pit. There is no law or
order that can be broken. - If you try to hold on to food for later, the
temperature of your cell will be raised or lowered until your death.
The Meaning of The Platform
I really enjoy movies that clearly have a purpose or message,
and that purpose or message is left somewhat obscured. I won’t tell you what it
means because I don’t know for sure. I will tell you what it could mean.
Hell Allegory
There is an obvious allusion to the pit being hell because
there are 333 cells within it, which means there are 666 prisoners. Besides, it’s
just about as hellish as you can imagine, especially on the lower levels, which
seems like a nod to Dante’s Inferno.
At the very least it’s some sort of purgatory, where people
do their time and wait for judgement. At the worst it means torture and death.
Even living can mean hellish conditions like someone keeping you alive to feast
on you gradually to make sure your flesh doesn’t spoil as quickly.
Socio-Economic Allegory
Goreng decides to bring a book with him to the pit, but not
just any book. He brings Don Quixote, a book whose main character is a
proponent of equal rights. This is interesting because everyone’s rights within
the pit are equal, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be happy about it. Equal
rights and equal outcomes are different beasts, and here equal outcomes are not
law.
It’s clear that The Platform is meant to be a
commentary on capitalism. Capitalism is an interesting beast because it allows
you to succeed or fail, but guarantees nothing. Capitalism doesn’t play
favorites, so many end up losing.
Final Recommendation
If you are a fan of psychological horror or Cube, you
will enjoy this movie as long as you have a strong stomach. It’s not gore-porn,
but there are disturbing concepts throughout. I had a blast watching this, and
the dubbing didn’t bother me one bit.