A platform

I had a feeling that someone took the horror Cube and added a new dimension to it, which resulted in this excellent Spanish movie called The Platform. I felt a tension comparable to that of a string on Bruce Dickinson’s guitar, enjoying the minimalist atmosphere, in which you cannot miss any single moment because they all have their place in the well-knit plot. Too bad that the ending spoiled it a bit. They could have played with it some more. (2020.03.29)

How an interesting premise can hold together a feature film. I truly believe that this vision of a prison will remain in our memories for a long time, it has a repulsiveness and inhumanity that reach depths that no hole on earth can reach, and it exudes powerlessness and repugnance. And that’s basically it. The Platform, despite its ambitions, is a very rudimentary film that you should not muse over, even if the creators demand that in a pretty violent fashion. And it’s not only the stupidly executed dream or hallucination sequences that want to make the message very clear, it’s silly already with regards to the way that fictional world works (how do they move, how are they controlled, how can they heat or cool so quickly one part of that pretty open space, etc.). It has a lot of suggestive moments and the core idea – and the potential for social criticism arising from it –, together with its examination of the human psyche are praiseworthy, but not even dating and alcoholism in times of corona have so many missteps and plot holes. Weak 3* because it somehow manages to hold the attention and goes by fast. (2020.04.03)

The unknown Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia serves up dystopian sci-fi from Spain set in a vertical prison with strict rules, and as expected, it's a blast! It makes me happy that Netflix is shopping these European films that we would otherwise see who knows when. The film is probably closest to Snowpiercer, but it's still a pretty original take on a subject that is not only smart, but also very dirty, gritty, raw, bleak and brutal. Yes there is cannibalism too! This is definitely the scariest prison ever portrayed in film and I broke a decent sweat in places while watching it, and I even forgot to breathe a few times, which is the way of a good film. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered if the film had half an hour more and explained a lot at the end. We don't get any answers and for that the film has only one minus point, but otherwise it's an absolute blast and the Spaniards add another trophy to their collection. I recommend watching in Spanish! Story****, Action****, Humor>No, Violence****, Entertainment*****, Music****, Visual****, Atmosphere*****, Suspense****. 8.5/10. (2020.03.20)

The coronavirus would spread like crazy there, brrr! On the one hand, this is a relatively literal social critique with an ending that’s perhaps a bit too abstract. On the other hand, it’s a pretty brutal and nutritious massacre that’s not afraid to go a little beyond the viewer’s comfort zone and be more brutal that most Netflix productions. The result is not fully bulletproof – the role of most of the secondary characters remains foggy – but overall, The Platform has such swag, pace and balls that will surely be remembered as that film “about the weird vertical prison with a platform full of food” that people will talk about. (2020.03.20)

This is a thriller reminiscent of Snowpiercer about a vertical prison, which also serves as a metaphor for human society and its caste. Together with the voluntarily imprisoned protagonist, we gradually discover the rules of the prison, the multiple floors of which form individual cells. A table with food gradually passes through the cells once a day, from which prisoners can eat anything left over from those above them. The prisoners are moved every month, so we get to see the very different situations on different floors, and this fantastic, distressing, and sinister excursion culminates in the hero's decision to try something no one before him has tried. One would like to know more, but the film does not answer everything and, in its fictional world, it creates its own logic, according to which it is necessary to play and not dispute it too much. This an excellently written, uncompromising, brutal, striking, suspenseful (and sometimes even funny) and engaging allegory, perceiving human society as a collection of hungry selfish people, with clever dialogues, excellent disturbing moments and an innovative environment. It is attractive in its resistance and the clear and simple mechanism by which it is driven. There is beauty in simplicity, and this is certainly true here. (2019.10.07)