The Platform is a 2019 Spanish sci-fi horror film about a prison in which cells are stacked vertically so food reaches only the upper tiers.
Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia from a screenplay written by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, El Hoyo (original title) stars Emilio Buale, Zorion Eguileor, Alexandra Masangkay, Ivan Massagué and Antonia San Juan.
Plot:
In a future “dystopia”, prisoners housed in vertically stacked cells watch hungrily as food descends from above, feeding the upper tiers, but leaving those below ravenous and radicalised.
Reviews:
“We see a lot more people in The Pit than I expected, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the amount of bloody violence the film contains. The Platform isn’t going to be for everyone, some viewers may be turned away by how strange and unpleasant it is, but I was impressed and engrossed…” Arrow in the Head
” …I can’t immediately recall another movie that has so effectively and economically conceptualized current event topics such as socialism, Darwinism, and class structure. And yet The Platform puts 21st-century politics under a microscope without undercutting its mainstream mystique as nerve-wracking sci-fi cinema along the lines of Cube or Fermat’s Room.” Culture Crypt
“It’s nasty but accurate. It’s brutal but honest. And the film embraces all of this – the nastiness and the honesty – as we follow this story of one simple man trying to figure out how to survive this nastiness and, possibly, how to disrupt the system. It’s not as easy as you think, which is another revelation.” First Showing
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“While constantly engaging, the first two acts of The Platform are rather self-contained and mysterious (the first one is particularly under-wraps), which only makes the third act completely satisfying: it’s violent, jaw-dropping and features some nice twists and turns that you might not have anticipated.” Horror World and Reviews
“It has everything: low comedy, political allegory, left-field twists, crowd-pleasing surprises, spectacular violence, sadism, altruism and yet more spectacular violence, all wrapped up in a high-concept horror movie that moves the premise of Cube into a merciless vertical structure. It’s grotesque and compelling…” Now Toronto
” …the picture’s shift from watchable to interminable comes with a progressively oppressive midsection, as Gaztelu-Urrutia’s inability or refusal to incorporate disparate elements into the thin narrative becomes more and more problematic…” Reel Film Reviews
“Part Swift, part Saw, and determinedly grim, this Toronto premiere is sure to become a cult favorite of similarly uncompromising horror fans, although its mood could be too dark for mainstream success.” Screen Daily
Release:
On September 10th 2019, it was reported that Netflix had acquired worldwide rights, aside from some Asian territories. The Platform was added to Netflix on 20th March 2020.
Technical specs:
1 hour 34 minutes
