The Platform
One dystopian future prison-like vertical self-management center called The Hole. There are different types of people. Criminals may choose to escape from traditional prison conditions. Some even come here voluntarily, hoping for a diploma certificate or something else.
This is the second class Goreng. One day he wakes up and finds himself at the 46th level of The Hole. He gradually learns from his cellmate Trimagasi that The Hole is a lot like a tower, whose cells are arranged one after the other, and each cell has two occupants. Each prisoner can carry any object of his choice with him, as Goreng has kept in the book ‘Don Quixote.’
However, the strangest thing about The Hole is that there is no separate food arrangement for each cell. Large quantities of food are stacked on a platform in the first level cell. Gradually the platform descends, and the prisoners of each level eat the people’s leftovers in their previous cell.
In this way, there is no shortage of food for the people in the highest cells. But as the food-carrying platform descends, the amount of food decreases. And at some point, the food becomes completely depleted. The middle-class cellists get something or the other, but the lower-class cellists have nothing left to eat.
However, the reality is that the administration of The Hole does not give less than the amount of food. It is possible to satisfy the appetite and satisfy the hunger of all the cell dwellers of The Hole by eating a moderate amount of the food they give in the beginning. But the upper-level cellbusters continue to eat as much as they want. Because no one cares about their lower cell bloods, the meal almost runs out before half the level is passed.
Meanwhile, another surprising thing is that there is no permanent settlement for all the detainees. The duration of their position at each level is one month. This month, those at a middle level may move to a higher or lower level next month. After a month, that position will also change.
This means that those who are in the upper levels today but they know very well that in the next month, they will have to go down, and then they will also suffer from food. But despite this, they continue to eat arbitrarily.
Meanwhile, those who have already lived at a lower level have directly experienced the pain of severe hunger. Even then, over time, they reach the top level and start eating as much as they like irrationally. They forget the past or think,
” We’ve suffered so much so far. Today is our day of enjoyment. What’s the use of thinking that those who are downstairs don’t have food in their mouths!”
This is exactly the context in which the Spanish science-fiction horror thriller ‘The Platform’ was formed. However, the original Spanish title is ‘El Hoyo,’ which in English stands for ‘The Hole.’ The film, which has much Kafkaesque storytelling, was produced by 46-year-old director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
The film was voted the best in the ‘Midnight Madness’ category at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. And from there, the film won a worldwide streaming deal via Netflix. The film will be available on Netflix from March 20 this year.
No one should think that what has been told in the story is a spoiler. Otaku literally is just the main context of the film, on which the story is based.
With a tender heart, principles and ideals, where does the life of Balian Gorenge’s The Hole go? Does he become a ferocious beast like other prisoners, or is he able to retain his humanity? In other words, an individual can break the existing system at all, or he also has to surrender to that system. And the only way to get an answer to this question is to see for yourself the very exciting picture of 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Needless to say, the film is not suitable for everyone to watch. It includes cannibalism, suicide, starvation, bloodshed, and many other things that are impossible for any conscientious person to do. But yes, they are an integral part of Survival genre movies. Since the main goal of the characters in ‘The Platform’ is to fight hunger and survive, it is also a picture of a survival genre.
Although most Survival genre films are inspired to survive by fighting the hostile environment, the main attraction of this film is its social commentary. And the fact that the commentary is so subtle and metaphorical cannot be said. Because if you’ve read this article from the beginning, you already understand that the horrors of capitalist society are depicted here, which is why many have called the film “Capitalist Horror. “
Opposing capitalism does not mean glorifying 100% socialism or communism. Because in this film, the effect of “spontaneous solidarity” has also been highlighted. And the fact that at some point in achieving “ultimate justice,” one has to step on the path of “revolutionary violence” is also embodied.
However, at a time when the film has been released worldwide, its relevance is not limited to capitalism versus socialism/communism. Rather, the concept of panic can be traced back to an example of panic-buying at the beginning of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, which is still seen in many parts of the world.
Notice what the panning buyers have done. They just thought of themselves. In times of crisis, they simply want to make sure they are safe and sound, so all the store essentials are ready. They think, there are many more who need the same product, what will be their condition.
The mentality of the residents of The Hole is exactly the same. High-level people want to eat as much as they can; they don’t think about low-level people. What could be the consequence of this arbitrary mentality? Even if you look around with your eyes closed, the picture of ‘The Platform’ can make you feel it.
That being said, if at any other time the movie ‘The Platform’ had appeared on Netflix, it might have attracted the attention of a large number of people. But as the classification of the society has become more pronounced during the Corona period, the relevance of this film has also increased several times. As a result, the picture is currently being discussed unexpectedly. It has also taken place in the list of the most viewed pictures on Netflix worldwide.