In 2019, The Platform premiered in theaters and became one of Netflix’s most-watched original films the next year. Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, this Spanish dystopian thriller follows people imprisoned in a “Vertical Self-Management Center,” a tower in which a platform provides food to people on each floor once a day, starting at the top, creating desperation and conflict among the inmates. The film specifically focuses on Goreng (Iván Massagué), who voluntarily admits himself to this prison in exchange for a college degree only to start a revolution from within.
Following the film’s tremendous success on streaming during the pandemic, The Platform has returned to the spotlight with a sequel premiering on October 4. Now that this exciting follow-up has descended onto Netflix, here’s why audiences should catch up on the original film to prepare for the next course.
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The characters are compelling
The Platform wouldn’t be the modern classic it is today without its unique cast of characters holding it up. Each player in this nightmarish production makes quite a stellar impression, with much credit going to the script and the actors who bring them to life.
Goreng, Imoguiri (Antonia San Juan) and Baharat (Emilio Buale) carry the story as the hopeful but tragic protagonists struggling to change the prison as it chisels away at their humanity. However, actor Zorion Eguileor stands out as Trimagasi, the witty, sardonic devil on Goreng’s shoulder who succeeds in making the viewers both love and hate him in such a short time.
The movie’s social commentary shows a darker side of humanity
Similar to the eat-the-rich movie Parasite and Squid Game, The Platform presents a scathing portrait of society and its divisions of class in a dark, satirical manner. The tower surrounding the titular platform acts as a clever symbol of the social hierarchy, exploring how each person uses the resources given to them on each level and how such actions can affect others. The way inmates on higher levels hog all the food and leave little to no scraps for those below represents how the upper class indulges themselves with little regard for the people in desperate need of help.
The Platform also raises questions on human morality, as the characters locked in the tower show the lengths that scared, desperate people will go to survive in such a harsh environment. Even when they see each other in pain and driven to suicide, most of these prisoners would rather save themselves than support their neighbors. This behavior only drives out each other’s vices even more, with some resorting to killing and eating their fellow inmates to survive the lower levels.
It’s a haunting, pessimistic picture of society, one that makes its viewers ask what it takes to unite humanity and create social change. The story may end on a hopeful note, but it does so after exploring the darkest depths of human nature with only a sliver of light in sight.
The Platform has an interesting, and disturbing, plot
The Platform keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat as it unveils the mysteries of its harsh, bizarre world. With its claustrophobic setting, shocking twists, and surreal, nightmarish visuals, this film takes what was originally a theater script and turns it into a thrilling, immersive journey up and down the rabbit hole.
The sci-fi thriller also merges its social satire with Biblical allegory as Goreng tries to help his fellow inmates and send a message to those in charge of what is essentially hell on Earth. Such a story may have been seen in many other dystopian future films, but the film does it very well. All in all, The Platform makes for an epic battle against a corrupt system that deserves to be explored further in the sequel.
The Platform is streaming on Netflix.
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