THE PLATFORM

Foreign Film

Language: Spanish

Subtitle: English

Director: Galder Gaztel-Urrutia

Screenwriters: David Desola, Pedro Rivero

The Platform is a 2019 Spanish sci-fi-thriller film with horrific undertones. It is originally known as ‘EL Hoyo’ which mean ‘The Hole’.

I enjoy watching unique films; films that give you food for thought, and this is certainly one of them. The metaphorical theme makes the storyline even more intriguing. It is philosophical in its underlining address of the political and economic state of, not just the country, but possibly the world at large.

The film is about a vertical self-management prison which extends beyond 200 levels down with one cell per floor and two people per cell. Goreng (Ivan Massague) wakes up on the 48th level. He recently volunteered to spend 6 months in the facility in exchange for a diploma. He discovers his roommate is a man likely past his 60s called Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), who has already served months of his year-long sentence for the crime of manslaughter. Surprisingly, we discover that every inmate is allowed to enter the prison with any, and I mean any, item or object of their choice. While Goreng chose to come in with a copy of the book ‘Don Qixote’, Trimagasi came in with a self-sharpening knife. It was amazing and rather shocking to see the items some of the other inmates brought in.

Anyway, creepy Trimagasi fills Goreng in on the, frankly scary, setup of the facility. This was hard for Goreng to process and understand. Of course, there’s nothing like living though it to fully get it.

What’s the main part of this film? The Platform and what’s placed on it daily: a bountiful variety of foods of the best quality, cooked in high standard facilities by a team of chefs headed by an efficient and detailed head chef. This platform descends unto level 1 and makes its way down to the last level, which was still yet to be established by the inmates.

What’s the most frustrating part of the platform? It stops on each floor for only 2 minutes before moving down to the next. There is no cutlery provided so the inmates have to eat with their hands. No one is allowed to keep any food from the platform once it descends to the next level. Failure to abide by this rule means the cell’s temperature rises or lowers to fatal degrees.

What’s the worst part of this arrangement? People eat as much as they can, in the most deplorable way they can, and the inmates on the floor below have to eat their messy and horrible leftovers. Of course, this means it doesn’t last long and people further down the levels get little to nothing. The higher you are, the more you get. The lower you are, the less or none you get. This obviously causes deaths from starvation and murder as people are willing to, and often eat, their cellmates to survive.

We see all sorts: a vicious woman, Migaru (Alexandra Masangkay) who constantly travels down the levels via the platform allegedly in search of her “daughter”. There’s Imoguiri (Antonia San Juan), a woman who had brought her dog in with her. She tries to convince people that if they eat only what they need, no one will go without. We also see Baharat (Emilio Buale) whose aim is to escape by making his way to the level 1.

What is the scariest aspect of this facility? Every month, the cells are shuffled and randomly assigned to new levels. This means, while you might be on level 50 this month, you could be on level 100 next month.

Things become dangerously real when Goreng has to wonder what happened to Trimagasi’s former roommate before he came in. Well, he was certainly going to find out when their cell was reassigned from level 48 to level 132.

I was immediately drawn to the allegory presented in this film as it was beautifully crafted and directed. The film highlights several issues: the upper class and it’s unjust treatment of the lower class. It was specific in illuminating how power and abundance can influence anyone as those in the lower class are just as likely to meet out the same treatment on the upper class if the roles were reversed, as well as the disparity in the wealth of the economy despite there being enough to go round. It is capitalism versus communism and the old primitive moto – survival of the fittest... and smartest.

The performances of the actors were unique in the delivery of each individual character and what they represent. There are people who are unhappy with the system and give up after failed attempts to change it. There are those who fight to survive within the system just as we have those who blend into it and thrive within it. We are left with the very few who are willing to do anything… to fight to change the system.

The two-part question is, can and will they change it? I believe this film answers a part of the question. Rating? 8 out of 10.

Currently available to watch on Netflix.

See trailer below.