8/10 Acquired and distributed by Netflix, this Spanish language horror film is extremely inventive and creative, while providing some social commentary without preaching or talking down to its audience, an accomplishment that many Hollywood studios could take a lesson from. “The Platform” is a rather simple story and all takes place in one location. I loved that the screenwriters didn’t get bogged down in backstory or having to explain every facet of the world in which this film resides. Instead, we are left in the dark just as our protagonist is and have to figure out what is going on at the same time he does. At the top of the platform is Level 0, where a decent amount of food is placed. The platform drops to Level 1 where two people have a limited amount of time to eat before it lowers again to the two people at Level 2. This continues until it reaches the bottom but as more people at the top eat, the less food is left for people on the lower levels. If you are at an extremely low level (with a high level number), there will be no food left to eat and you are on each level for a full month. It is a fascinating concept that slightly reminded me of the train in “Snowpiercer”, with the elite upper class having access to all the food, drink and pleasures they could hope for, while the people in the back suffer with the bare minimum. Except while you are permanently stuck in your section in “Snowpiercer”, in “The Platform”, your level and therefore chance of survival, changes every month until you get out or die. If people on each level rationed their food and only ate what they needed, there would be enough food to get down to the lower levels. But in true, greedy human fashion, the elites at the top only care about themselves and overeat, not caring about the people in society below them (does this sound familiar at all to you?). Luckily, the film is never preachy or makes any direct political statements, but instead exposes the ugliness of human nature. At only an hour and a half, the film is able to sustain its entire duration in one location without growing boring or stale and flies by with its strong pacing. The production design was minimalistic but effective and the violence was grisly. There are plot twists and turns that you won’t see coming and the slightly ambiguous ending was the perfect way to close out the film. While I had mixed feelings on dead characters being able to communicate with living ones, overall this was a great film. It also had shades of “The Twilight Zone” and “Black Mirror” but in a feature length film as opposed to a condensed episodic format. The eerie score, solid performances and brilliant creative decisions from director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia make this a must watch Netflix dystopian horror film if you want something on the creepier side to check out in anticipation of Halloween. This platform is definitely worth riding up or down.
#ElHoyoLoco / #InEveryWayShapeAndPlatform / #IrRationalBehavior / #InsaneInTheSpainBrain / #ReturnToPlatform / #AHoleNewCinematicExperience
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