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''The Platform'' () is a 2019 Spanish
dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
directed by
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia (; born 17 February 1974) is a Spanish Film director, film and advertising director and producer. He made his feature-film debut with ''The Platform (film), The Platform'' (2019), a dystopian science fiction-horror film. ...
.Amy Nicholson
"Toronto Film Review: 'The Platform'"
. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', 10 September 2019.
The film is set in a large, industrial tower named the "Vertical Self-Management Center." Residents of the tower are imprisoned in the center as punishment for committing crimes. Every month, prisoners switch between the tower's many floors and are fed by a vertically moving platform with food on it. The platform is initially filled with lots of food, and gradually descends through the tower's levels, stopping for a fixed amount of time on each floor. Since the residents of each floor tend to eat as much food as they can, those on the lower floors are unable to eat as much food as those at the top, leading to conflict. The film's cast includes
Iván Massagué Iván Massagué Horta (born 4 September 1976) is a Spanish actor. Biography Massagué studied at the Nancy Tuñón school of theatre in Barcelona. Although he had been working for some years as an actor, his interpretation of Johnny in the l ...
,
Antonia San Juan Antonia San Juan Fernández (born 22 May 1961) is a Spanish actress, director and screenwriter. Biography She was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. At 19 she went to Madrid, where she started working as a professional theatre actre ...
, Zorion Eguileor, Emilio Buale Coka and Alexandra Masangkay. It premiered at the
2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...
(TIFF), where it won the People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness. At TIFF, the film also secured a worldwide streaming deal with
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. It was released theatrically in Spain on 8 November 2019 by Festival Films. It received generally positive reviews from critics.


Plot

A man named Goreng awakens in a cell numbered 48. His cellmate Trimagasi explains that they are in a tower-style holding facility. Once per day, food arrives on "the platform" that lowers from level 0, stopping for two minutes on each level. Prisoners can only eat while the platform is stopped on their level, and are subjected to fatal temperatures if they keep any food. Prisoners are randomly reassigned to a new level each month. Trimagasi reveals that when assigned to level 132, he and his former cellmate cannibalized someone. One day, a woman named Miharu rides down the platform, whom Trimagasi explains regularly descends the pit to search for her child. Goreng explains that he volunteered to spend six months in the facility in exchange for a diploma, while Trimagasi confides that he is serving a year-long sentence for
manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
. The following month, they are reassigned to level 171. Trimagasi ties up Goreng and explains his plans to feed himself using Goreng's flesh. When he begins cutting into Goreng's leg, Miharu arrives, attacks Trimagasi, and frees Goreng, who kills Trimagasi. Encouraged by Miharu, Goreng eats Trimagasi's flesh and subsequently becomes haunted by hallucinations of Trimagasi. The next month, Goreng wakes on level 33 with a woman named Imoguiri and her dog, Ramesses II. Imoguiri was the administration official who interviewed Goreng before sending him to the pit, having admitted herself after being diagnosed with
terminal cancer Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...
. Imoguiri only eats every other day, letting Ramesses II eat on the days that she does not, and tries unsuccessfully to convince the pair below them to ration their food. One day, Miharu arrives injured. Goreng and Imoguiri nurse her back to health. That night, Goreng breaks up a fight between Miharu and Imoguiri to then discover that Miharu has killed Ramesses II. After Miharu leaves, Goreng mentions her child to Imoguiri, who says there are no children in the pit and Miharu came alone. The following morning, Goreng wakes to find that they have been reassigned to level 202 and that Imoguiri has hanged herself. He consumes her flesh, plagued with hallucinations of his former cellmates. The next month, Goreng is assigned to level 6. His new cellmate, Baharat, is a religious man who has been attempting to escape the pit for months. Estimating that there are 250 levels, Goreng convinces Baharat to ride the platform down with him and ration the food. They forbid anyone on the first fifty levels to receive any, arguing that they get to eat every day, and fend off those who defy them. Fellow prisoner Sr. Brambang advises them that civility is more effective than violence and convinces them to send a symbolic message to the administration by leaving a single
panna cotta Panna cotta (; ; ) is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings. History The name ''panna cotta'' is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before ...
untouched. As they descend further, they hand out portions to the prisoners, attacking those who refuse to cooperate. They encounter Miharu being attacked and try to save her, but she is killed and they are both left severely injured. Goreng and Baharat continue to descend, eventually stopping at level 333, where Goreng notices a child whom he deduces is Miharu's daughter. They get off the platform, letting it continue downward, and reluctantly feed the girl the panna cotta. That night, Baharat shakes Goreng awake and tells him, "The girl is the message." Goreng awakens, revealing this encounter to have been a dream, and finds that the real Baharat has bled to death. Goreng and the girl ride the platform to the very bottom level. Goreng once again hallucinates Trimagasi, who encourages him to get off the platform. Goreng insists that he has to ride the platform back up to the top, as he is the bearer of the "message," but Trimagasi replies, "The message requires no bearer." Goreng gets off the platform and the two walk away, watching as the child ascends.


Cast

*
Iván Massagué Iván Massagué Horta (born 4 September 1976) is a Spanish actor. Biography Massagué studied at the Nancy Tuñón school of theatre in Barcelona. Although he had been working for some years as an actor, his interpretation of Johnny in the l ...
as Goreng * Zorion Eguileor as Trimagasi *
Antonia San Juan Antonia San Juan Fernández (born 22 May 1961) is a Spanish actress, director and screenwriter. Biography She was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. At 19 she went to Madrid, where she started working as a professional theatre actre ...
as Imoguiri *
Emilio Buale Ludwig Emilio Buale Coka (born 26 November 1972) is an Equatoguinean-born Spanish actor, known internationally for his role as Baharat in the science fiction-horror movie '' The Platform'' (2019). Early life and career Born in Equatorial Gui ...
as Baharat * Alexandra Masangkay as Miharu * Eric L. Goode as Sr. Brambang * Mario Pardo as Baharat's friend * Txubio Fernández de Jáuregui as
Chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...


Production

The film was produced by Basque Films alongside Mr. Miyagi Films and Plataforma la película AIE, with the participation of
RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...
and ETB and support from ICAA, the Basque administration, and
ICO is a 2001 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game based on a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally ...
. Shooting lasted for six weeks. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia says the film's key message is that "humanity will have to move towards the fair
distribution of wealth The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It shows one aspect of economic inequality or heterogeneity in economics, economic heterogeneity. The distribution of wealth differs from the i ...
", exploring the importance of individual initiative in driving political change. The screenplay is adapted from a theatre script by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, to which more action and physical elements were added to make it more suitable for a film. "Extensive" rewriting was required to convert the unproduced theater script into a screenplay. The director said it was a "torturous ordeal", as the writers defended their artistic vision and did not want some of the changes to be made. The
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
prison cells were built for the production in a Red Cross facility in a port in Bilbao. The director asked for cells that looked "economical, robust, ndimpregnable", which emphasized a sense of architectural and engineering proportion. Only two tiers of concrete cells were built; the appearance of many tiers of cells extending above and below each cell (visible from the hole in the center of each cell) was added in post-production using visual effects. The director says the vertical tower of cells "represents the dehumanized coldness of the Vertical Self-Management Center". The director states that the film's lavish "food was treated as another character in the story, one that is aesthetically antagonistic to the architecture of the prison." The luxurious displays of gourmet food were presented on "
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
worthy tableware" to depict "excessive, almost erotic, opulent desire" that is eventually "desecrated" once the near-empty platform reaches the
abject In critical theory, abjection is the state of being cast off and separated from norms and rules, especially on the scale of society and morality. The term has been explored in post-structuralism as that which inherently disturbs conventional ident ...
, starving inmates on the lower levels. The director acknowledges the film can be difficult to watch, but he says the purpose of this approach is to generate discussion and debate by viewers about the political messages. When asked about the film's brutal violence and cannibalism, the director explained that the prison "is a reflection of our society, oit couldn’t hide the violence. It had to show how we rip each other apart." The film uses two actors cast against type;
Iván Massagué Iván Massagué Horta (born 4 September 1976) is a Spanish actor. Biography Massagué studied at the Nancy Tuñón school of theatre in Barcelona. Although he had been working for some years as an actor, his interpretation of Johnny in the l ...
and
Antonia San Juan Antonia San Juan Fernández (born 22 May 1961) is a Spanish actress, director and screenwriter. Biography She was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. At 19 she went to Madrid, where she started working as a professional theatre actre ...
, both of whom are known for their comedic roles. The pair were chosen to lighten the film's weighty subject by adding "humour, irony, and surrealism". The film was shot chronologically, as the main actor Iván had to lose 12 kg (26 lbs) over the six-week shoot in order to display his character's physical deterioration.


Release

The film was released in Spain on 8 November 2019 by Festival Films. ''The Platform'' was released onto Netflix internationally (including Spain) on 20 March 2020. In July 2020, Netflix revealed the film had been watched by 56 million households over its first four weeks of release, among the highest viewing figures ever for one of their original films.


Reception


Critical response

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 97 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "While it may feel muddled at times, ''The Platform'' is an inventive and captivating dystopian thriller." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Norman Wilner of ''
Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...
'' correctly predicted that the film would win the People's Choice Award, giving it a five-N rating and writing that the film "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 film that moves the premise of ''
Cube A cube or regular hexahedron is a three-dimensional space, three-dimensional solid object in geometry, which is bounded by six congruent square (geometry), square faces, a type of polyhedron. It has twelve congruent edges and eight vertices. It i ...
'' into a merciless vertical structure. It’s grotesque and compelling, like
grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter, and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a f ...
uis Uis is a settlement located in the Erongo Region, Namibia. It belongs to the Dâures Constituency, Dâures electoral constituency. Located in the former Damaraland, it is known for the local mineral wealth. The settlement was established in 1958 ...
Buñuel. And it never blinks." Amy Nicholson of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote that "the film’s minimalist fury feels like the plays of
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
. Massagué and Eguileor are up to being in a zesty ''
Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
''. And Eguileor's nasty, delightful, occasionally tender performance feels like an audition to play a
Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Fidelity bond, a type of insurance policy for employers * Chemical bond, t ...
villain, or perhaps the Spanish resurrection of
Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character created by American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling ...
." The film garnered new reviews after a surge in popularity during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Sam Jones in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' suggested it was "the perfect parable for life in the time of the coronavirus and a visceral investigation of how a crisis can expose not only the stratification of human society but also the immutable strands of selfishness coded into our DNA."


Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "15" , 2020 , , rowspan = "6" ,
7th Feroz Awards The 7th award ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Teatro Auditorio Ciudad de Alcobendas in Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, on January 16, 2020. The ceremony was hosted by María Hervás and was televised by Telemadrid. Nominees Nominati ...
, , colspan = "2" , Best Drama Film , , , , rowspan = "6" , , - ,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...
, , Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia , , , - ,
Best Screenplay This list of screenwriting awards for film is an index to articles on notable awards given for film screenwriting. The list is organized by region and country of the awards venue or sponsor, but winners are not necessarily restricted to people fro ...
, , David Desola, Pedro Rivero , , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Antonia San Juan , , , - , Best Film Poster , , , , , - , Best Trailer , , , , , - , rowspan = "3" ,
12th Gaudí Awards The 12th Gaudí Awards, organised by the Catalan Film Academy, were presented on 19 January 2020 at in Barcelona. Directed by Jordi Prat and produced by Dagoll Dagom, the gala was hosted by . The nominations were read by Anna Castillo and Oriol P ...
, , colspan = "2" , Best Non-Catalan Language Film , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Screenplay , , David Desola, Pedro Rivero , , , - , Best Visual Effects , , Mario Campoy, Irene Río, Iñaki Madariaga , , , - , 75th CEC Medals , , Best New Director , , Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia , , , , , - , rowspan = "3" ,
34th Goya Awards The 34th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE), honored the best in Spanish films of 2019 and took place at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Málaga on 25 January 2020 ...
, ,
Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
, , David Desola, Pedro Rivero , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - ,
Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V'' **Runners-up: Steve Kloves – '' ...
, , Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia , , , - , Best Special Effects , , Mario Campoy, Iñaki Madariaga , , , - , 29th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Antonia San Juan , , , , align = "center" , , - , 33rd European Film Awards , , Best Visual Effects , , Iñaki Madariaga , , , ,


Sequel

Discussions around a potential sequel took place after the film's streaming success in 2020. In May 2023, Netflix reported the beginning of filming of ''The Platform 2'', with Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia returning as director and starring
Hovik Keuchkerian Hovik Keuchkerian Burgui (born 14 November 1972) is a Spanish actor, stand-up comedian, and former boxer. Biography Hovik Keuchkerian Burgui was born in 1972, to an Armenian father and a Spanish mother in Beirut, Lebanon. He moved with his fa ...
and Milena Smit. In July 2024, Netflix released the first trailer for the film and the movie came out on October 4, 2024.


See also

*
List of Spanish films of 2019 A list of Spanish-produced and co-produced feature films released in Spain in 2019. When applicable, the domestic theatrical release date is favoured. Films Box office The ten highest-grossing Spanish feature films in 2019, by domestic bo ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Platform, The 2019 films 2019 science fiction films 2019 horror films 2019 science fiction horror films Films about cannibalism Films about food and drink Films about social class Spanish prison films Spanish science fiction horror films 2010s dystopian films Magic realism films Social science fiction films Films shot in Bilbao Spanish survival films 2010s Spanish-language films 2010s Spanish films Spanish dystopian films Spanish-language thriller films Spanish thriller films