The Platform

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Guys.

GUYS.

Has anyone else watched this? Is anyone available to hold my hand and/or a paper bag as I desperately suck air in and out of it?

This was a DOOZIE.

It’s basically a vertical prison called The Pit, a high-rise building where each floor is a prison cell containing 2 prisoners, 2 beds, 1 toilet, and a giant hole in the floor. There are hundreds of floors. And for each day, for 2 minutes, a platform descends with a table laden with the best foods. Ostensibly there is enough to feed everyone but in reality, all of the food is gone by floor 50 and everyone else starves for a month at a time at the end of which, you and your cellie are randomly reassigned to another floor – maybe better, maybe not. You get gassed and you wake up either prepared to stuff yourself or condemned to do without. Does this bring out the best in people? Of course not.

The Platform is fascinating because whatever kind of world exists beyond the prison’s walls, we aren’t shown it, but I wouldn’t blame you for assuming these aren’t the best of times. The entire film is contained within just a few floors of the prison, with just a few characters to meet (and not get attached to, if you know what I mean).

It’s also a perfect metaphor for human nature, if not a flattering one. This is a movie of tough questions and extremely dark themes. It is not a pleasant watch. It is deeply, deeply disturbing. Deeply. And also gross. GROSS. Oh Mylanta is it ever gross.

So, to be clear: I suspect less than 3% of people will appreciate this movie in any sort of way. It’s a horror-sci-fi hybrid that will haunt you.

If you’d like to hear Sean and I come to a rather obvious conclusion about it, please consult Youtube immediately.

10 thoughts on “The Platform”

  3. Anonymole

    I’m sure you’ve reviewed The Maze Runner, Dashner’s dysto-psycho-experiement story. Sounds a lot like that. The premise sounds utterly outlandish and contrived, but if you can get past the disbelief phase, might be engaging. Without the psychological experiment aspect, however, the question of why would negate any ability to accept the story line.

    And in general, this theme of unbelievability, what’s you guy’s take on shit plots, but great acting/music/setting?

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  7. Tom

    This movie was f***ing gross!

    But I’m hungry. I’m going downstairs/one floor to make myself a damn sandwich and think about this one.

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