Life in The Hole is terrible. The Hole is a prison that consists of multiple floors, on each floor there is one cell and two inmates. These inmates have exactly two minutes each day to eat what has been leftover from the floors above. Once a month inmates wake up on a different floor with life getting a bit better or becoming worse than the month before. The Platform is the story of Goreng (Ivan Massagué), the man who has volunteered to have himself placed in The Hole for reasons that might seem trivial to outsiders. As time passes and the difficulties within The Hole become more and more prevalent, Goreng will begin to understand his role in this dismal world. He, along with those he meets inside, will do what they can to beat the system and right the wrongs of those that came before them.
Films where the central focus is on prison and its inmates are a simple and effective way to talk about government and both its flaws and successes. It is easy to compare the hierarchy of the prison system to the things that take place within governments around the world. The Platform, consisting of more than two-hundred floors, and double the amount of prisoners (all seemingly significantly different from one another), depicts both the faults in certain government structures, but also the potential of these governments. Writers David Desola and Pedro Rivero, along with director Galder Gaztelu-Urritia, open the eyes of their viewers to the potential of the world around them, but, in order to do that, audiences must feel a connection to the characters and their stories.
There are four characters that make the story of The Platform possible. Goreng, Imoguiri (Antonia San Juan), Baharat (Emilio Buale) and Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor) each represent an aspect of government that consists of both positives and negatives. Each character, in their own way, finds balance between the good and the bad, making their place in the story one of relevance. As their stories come to a close, their hard work and dedication comes into question as audiences begin to wonder if everything they did throughout The Platform is enough to create change. Leaving the ending ambiguous as to whether or not everything being fought for will happen gives viewers both hope and hopelessness. Most people want to believe that people are good and that good things lie ahead; but the reality is that sometimes people cannot change. Audiences are left contemplating the current situation and what might eventually transpire as a result of the protagonists’ actions.
Desola, Rivero and Gaztelu-Urrutia manage to work religion into the film and have audiences contemplate its role within government and society in general. If you are a devoutly religious individual, The Platform will certainly question your belief system and make you feel uncomfortable throughout Goreng’s journey.
The ability of The Platform to force audiences to question their belief system and their government is a testament to the writing and directing (as well as the rest of the crew). From the first moments of The Platform audiences must begin to decipher what is simply a story and what, in many ways, parallels their own world. The acting is superb and effectively supports all of the hard work put into developing this film. Everything comes together in the end, but, again, leaves audiences with an ambiguous feeling, not entirely sure of what has transpired. Leaving audiences wanting more answers (but leaving those answers spread liberally throughout the film) has those viewers feeling more and more connected to The Platform even after it has ended.
Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. Written by David Desola & Pedro Revero. Starring Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Emilio Buale, Alexandra Masangkay, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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