Horror movies are often laced with extremely relevant social commentary. Sometimes this commentary is more subtle and nuanced. Otherwise, the metaphor slaps you in the face, and it is impossible to miss. Netflix’s Spanish dystopian horrorThe Platformfalls into this second category. It’s bold and unique setting acts as an obvious metaphor for human nature and consumption. With its limited cast, each character has a clear purpose in extending the dystopiaThe Platformis creating.
However,despite its clear intention to deliver a political statement, the movie feels ambiguous and lends itself to different interpretations. This is most evident in the movie’s climax, where the series of events that occur feels completely improbable. This opens itself up to analysis as to what is reality and what is happening in the protagonist’s mind. One thing that is clear isThe Platformfeatures shocking imageryand shows the bleak extremity of human nature. It is unforgiving and hopeless, and showcases how difficult it is to change the system.
The Platform
What Is Netflix’s ‘The Platform’ About?
The Platform,directed byGalder Gaztelu-Urrutia, takes place entirely inside a vertical prison referred to throughout as “the hole.” The movie is told from the perspective of Goreng (Iván Massagué), who has agreed to spend six months in the hole in exchange for a college diploma. Two inmates occupy each level of the hole and at the end of each month, each pair is randomly assigned a new level. With each level comes a different degree of hunger and desperation, as the lower you are, the less food will reach you. Food is delivered by a big floating platform that travels from level 0 to the bottom of the hole every day, stopping on each level for two minutes. The premise is simple: the higher you wake up, the more food is left on the platform and the more you’re able to eat.
Goreng wakes up on level 48, where his cellmate Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor) scavenges for food on the platform’s first visit.The first appearance of the platformintroduces the disgusting imagery of the movie as the food is torn apart, and the glass is smashed. Trimagasi places his cushion down and begins to devour the food in front of him like an animal. It is shocking to both Goreng and the audience, perfectly encapsulating Trimagasi’s role in the movie. He acts as the personification of the status quo and is adamant that the best way to survive is to follow the rules.He is the ideal introduction to the hole for Goreng, and explains that level 48 is a privileged position. The first third of the movie presents the idealized experience of the prison, making the following situations even more bleak by comparison.
‘The Platform’ Shows the Extreme Side of Rule Following
The following month, Goreng and Trimagasi wake up on floor 171, and it becomes immediately apparent that Goreng was incredibly lucky first time around. Now, he is tied to the bed and Trimagasi tells him that he must eat Goreng’s flesh in order to survive, as no food will make it this far down. He shows the more dangerous side of his rule-abiding personality, as he believes what he is doing to Goreng is simply what must happen.The Platformpresents such an extreme situation thatits participants have no resistance to cannibalism, and Trimagasi acts as the epitome of this. Trimagasi is overpowered by Miharu (Alexandra Masangkay), a woman who travels down the platform every month in search of her child. In the first month, Goreng showed kindness towards Miharu, which is why she helps.
The subsequent cellmates Goreng has offer different outlooks on the hole and, consequently,different critiques of capitalism and political change. Imoguiri (Antonio San Juan) represents the administration. She enters to try and change the system, asking those below to eat only what they need, so those below get enough food. She attempts to use a calm, mannered tone, and it takes Goreng threatening to defecate in the food to get those below to follow suit. Even then, the message doesn’t reach much further. Imoguiri ends up hanging herself when they wake up on level 202 and she realizes the system she believed in is plagued with lies. She evidences that even the administration doesn’t know the true extent of the situation, adding to the hopelessness of the dystopia created.
‘The Platform’ Shows the Harsh Contrast Between the Rich and Poor
Goreng’s final cellmate is Baharat (Emilio Buale),whorepresents activism and a desire for change. When the pair wakes up on Level 6, Goreng has almost molded into a version of Trimagasi, adamant that Baharat’s ideas are delusional. However, the pair decide to ride down the platform and send one thing back up, untouched, to send a message: the panna cotta. The visual of the panna cotta acts as the perfect encapsulation of the stark contrast between those in high-powered positions and those below. The panna cotta isn’t eaten, and, at the top of the platform,the head chef is seen scrutinizing it to see what the problem is. The singular hair on the dessert causes outrage and the head chef can be seen shouting at his kitchen staff who are lined up in a row. The blame is passed onto the chefs, as those above believe this hair is the reason the panna cotta hasn’t been touched.
However, earlier in the movie we see prisoners scavenging for food covered in maggots. It is clear those in the hole would do anything for food, even descend to cannibalism. Yet, to those above, they cannot fathom the conditions below and therefore are creating synthetic flaws. Throughout the movie there are parallels between the animalistic eating habits of those in the hole andthe fine dining preparations of the chefs above. The extreme difference of this just serves to reiterate the vast difference between theway those above and those below view reality.
‘The Platform’s Ending Is Purposely Ambiguous
The Platformdoesn’t give the audience closure, but instead reflects the relentlessness of the setting. Goreng and Baharat reach the bottom of the hole, level 333, which could be a reference to the 666 inmates within the facility. This offers acomparison to the hole being a symbolic hellor purgatory for Goreng and those he encounters. However, what is more obvious is the small child hiding on the bottom floor. Much of her presence is unexplained. She could be the child Miharu was searching for, but that is unconfirmed.Imoguiri was adamant that no children were allowed into the hole, which raises questions about this young girl’s origins even more. This opens up the possibility that the child was born within the prison, but whether she is always on the bottom floor or what happens to her cellmate is left unanswered.
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Any explanation of the young girl would be unsatisfactory and how you perceive her role in the movie reflects what you take away from it. Goreng gives her the panna cotta and themovie ends with her lying on the platform rising quickly through the prison. The earlier examination of the panna cotta suggests the dessert did make it back up with no sign of the girl, with this interpretation showing that nothing will change the viewpoint of those at the top. However, it may be the case that the girl does make it up and the movie ends before we can see the consequences, serving as a more hopeful reading that, if the administration sees the young girl, then change will occur. There is also the possibility that Goreng succumbs to his injuries early in the movie and the girl is all in his imagination.The Platform’s ending doesn’t give any closure, and that allows the movie to open up conversation. However,with a sequel on the way, some unexplained aspects of the dystopian horror could finally be answered.
