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The concept of trickle-down economics consist of conditions and policies that favor primarily the upper echelons with the hopes that "some" of it will "trickle down" and benefit the lower ones as well. It doesn't negate the fact, though, that what will "trickle down" to those lower echelons will be, technically, scraps, if at all. This seems to be the basis of this high concept sci-fi thriller from Spain.
The Platform follows Goreng (Iván Massagué), a man that wakes up in a concrete cell labeled #48 along with the older Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor). It is through him that we learn that they're both part of a social experiment where people are held prisoners in a multi-leveled structure, while a platform filled to the brim with food descends through a hole in the center of each room. As expected, the ones in the upper levels enjoy the feast, while the ones in the lower levels get nothing.
To make matters worse, every month, they are drugged and move to another random level. Where will they end up next? Ending up in the upper levels means a better chance at food, more sustenance, and higher survival probability, while ending up in the lower levels means you will barely get food, if at all, which means you'll probably have to fight harder to survive. Through each level, Goreng is paired with different cell mates, each with different outtakes and perspectives in their situation.
The Platform premiered in Spain in late 2019, but it was brought to Netflix in March 2020, just as the pandemic started. And to be honest, I can't think of a better representation of the selfishness of people that is represented in the film than the way people have behaved all through these years; the individual interests superseding the good of the whole, but also the failures of economical systems that favor the wealthy. The film is not subtle about its message, but still executes it really well.
Most of the performances are pretty good, but what drives the film is the tight direction, the uncertainty of what's happening, the tension between the inhabitants of this structure, and how much can they take before they all lose control. At one point, one of Goreng's cell mates advocates for a "spontaneous sense of solidarity" between all inhabitants for things to work out, but anybody that has lived in this world, regardless of the "level", knows what are the chances for that.
Grade:
THE PLATFORM
(2019, Gaztelu-Urrutia)
A thriller film
(2019, Gaztelu-Urrutia)
A thriller film
"Do you believe in God?
"This month, yes."
"This month, yes."
The concept of trickle-down economics consist of conditions and policies that favor primarily the upper echelons with the hopes that "some" of it will "trickle down" and benefit the lower ones as well. It doesn't negate the fact, though, that what will "trickle down" to those lower echelons will be, technically, scraps, if at all. This seems to be the basis of this high concept sci-fi thriller from Spain.
The Platform follows Goreng (Iván Massagué), a man that wakes up in a concrete cell labeled #48 along with the older Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor). It is through him that we learn that they're both part of a social experiment where people are held prisoners in a multi-leveled structure, while a platform filled to the brim with food descends through a hole in the center of each room. As expected, the ones in the upper levels enjoy the feast, while the ones in the lower levels get nothing.
To make matters worse, every month, they are drugged and move to another random level. Where will they end up next? Ending up in the upper levels means a better chance at food, more sustenance, and higher survival probability, while ending up in the lower levels means you will barely get food, if at all, which means you'll probably have to fight harder to survive. Through each level, Goreng is paired with different cell mates, each with different outtakes and perspectives in their situation.
The Platform premiered in Spain in late 2019, but it was brought to Netflix in March 2020, just as the pandemic started. And to be honest, I can't think of a better representation of the selfishness of people that is represented in the film than the way people have behaved all through these years; the individual interests superseding the good of the whole, but also the failures of economical systems that favor the wealthy. The film is not subtle about its message, but still executes it really well.
Most of the performances are pretty good, but what drives the film is the tight direction, the uncertainty of what's happening, the tension between the inhabitants of this structure, and how much can they take before they all lose control. At one point, one of Goreng's cell mates advocates for a "spontaneous sense of solidarity" between all inhabitants for things to work out, but anybody that has lived in this world, regardless of the "level", knows what are the chances for that.
Grade: