Grace Dietz
Copy Editor
How hungry would a person have to be to eat another human being? That question is answered with the new Netflix movie, “The Platform,” where people are held in a prison and have to kill in order to eat.
“The Platform” is one of most disturbing movies ever created, as viewers have to watch as despicable acts take place, such as cannibalism and humans living like rats. The film is truly disgusting to watch, and it comments on human greed and the inability to compromise, even if it’s for the greater good.
Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, “The Platform” is a Spanish sci-fi/horror film that was released in Spain on November 8, 2019. Released in the US on March 20, 2020, David Desola wrote the screenplay and story. The Netflix film stars Ivan Massague as Goreng, Zorion Eguileor as Trimagasi, Antonia San Juan as Imoguiri and Emilio Buale as Baharat.
The film centers around a prison which individuals can enter forcibly or voluntarily. The prison has distinct floors filled with people, and the people on higher floors get to eat more food than those on lower levels. In a place filled with human greed and violence, a new visitor, Goreng, tries to help the people on lower floors eat for the first time in days.
Since the movie originates from Spain, “The Platform” was originally all in Spanish. However, Netflix used other individual’s voices to dub over the original actors’. Because of this, the movie can be a little challenging to follow at times, as the movement of the actors’ lips don’t fit with the dialogue. However, the film makes up for this flaw with extraordinary acting from Massague, whose presence accelerates the movie and makes it extremely suspenseful. The inclusion of his character in the film shows how the prison can change an innocent human being into a cannibalistic murderer.
The aspect that truly disgusts viewers is the depiction of how the prisoners eat. In the film, the people are gorging themselves like they’ve never eaten before, which makes the viewers sick to their stomachs. In one scene, specifically, Trimagasi shovels the food into his mouth with his bare hands, and the sounds that he makes while eating are all too realistic and vomit-inducing. After he’s finished eating, he spits on the food for the people on the level beneath him, so they are forced to eat the food that he just spit on. The aspect of human greed is extremely well portrayed in this film, as the people on higher levels don’t care if the people below them eat, just as long as they have enough for themselves. The way that human beings are portrayed in this movie allows viewers to see the toll that hunger takes on an individual, which is disturbing and embarrassing.
“The Platform” is unlike any movie ever seen before, and viewers understand why it is classified as a horror movie within the first twenty minutes of watching it. The plot of the movie flows nicely and allows the film to succeed in almost every way possible. The story is entirely unique and creative, even if the subject matter is dark and disturbing. One thing is abundantly clear: viewers will never see a film like this one.
There was a lot of planning that went into this movie, from the diverse array of actors hired to the splay of food laid out on the table. The food, especially, took a lot of time to make, as no detail was missed on any meal. The giant table flowing with abundant food shows how much Americans eat in a day, which makes viewers hungry and disgusted at the same time. The most gruesome scenes were also planned out to the last detail, as it seemed as if the blood was real and the flesh was peeled off the bodies themselves.
This film is not meant for younger viewers, as certain scenes included in “The Platform” are extremely graphic. There are various nude scenes incorporated into the film, as well as cannibalism, which is referenced many times. In one scene, a woman eats the flesh of a dead individual, which appears to be very disgusting on screen, as there is fake blood everywhere and maggots start to infect the dead body. Due to the many references of cannibalism and violent scenes, it is recommended that all viewers are at least 16 years old.
“The Platform” is one of the most disturbing, but unique, films ever made. The superb acting and outstandingly gruesome scenes make the film a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It would be well advised to fast before watching this movie and never watch it while eating a meal, because it will make viewers throw up.
Released on March 20, 2020, “The Platform” is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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