The Platform

Insider.com

How low would you sink in order to survive?

The movie The Platform, best described as grotesquely mesmerizing, deals with this moralistic question.

With shocking, gruesome scenes that nauseate your senses and almost compel you to look away, The Platform is a disturbing look at the core of true human nature. Originally titled El Hoyo (as it was produced in Spain) this movie is not for the faint-hearted or germaphobes.

The setting of this movie centers around a large tower that serves as a prison. Each level of this tower is occupied by two prisoners. Strangely, within each cell a large section of the concrete floor is missing from the middle. This visual abnormality immediately establishes a deep sense of curiosity.   

Suddenly, you hear a loud fog horn-like buzz and a large platform slowly descends until it perfectly fills in the vacant hole. This platform, initially loaded with a buffet of food, serves as a dining table for the prisoners. Starting at the top, the prisoners at each level are given a limited amount of time to “wolf down” as much food as they possibly can before the platform lowers to the next level.

Herein lies one of the first social analogies you will find in the movie – the pitting between the haves vs. the have nots. Those on the upper tier levels are awarded the finest and freshest foods. Those at the mid and lower levels, however, are left to survive by picking from the leftovers.

I forewarn you, parts of this movie are disgusting to witness. Regardless, from the moment the first platform descended (into the cell of the lead character), I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. The riveting plot, combined with the grotesque imagery, challenges your sense of entitlement while making you reflect on your own survival prowess. 

Humans are inherently individualistic. Despite our differences however, the will to survive is a common thread that bonds us all. No movie showcases this truth better than The Platform. I am reminded of the Uruguayan Soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains, and whose surviving crash victims resorted to cannibalism in an effort to gain the necessary protein needed to ultimately survive the hellish situation. Not unlike the Donner Party or a thousand other stories – humans who find themselves engaged in extreme survival situations ultimately have to make extreme decisions. The Platform plays upon this truth brilliantly!   

The creepy aspect about The Platform is that it looks into the soul of our human existence and asks, are we really human…

…or…

…are we inherently animals, masking the truth of our own humanity with illusion, pretending that we are something more?

Written by T.K.

Chief Editor: C.K.

Share This Article