Netflix movies: The Platform is a dark, twisted parallel of our world today

The Platform is Netflix’s latest movie and it couldn’t have premiered at a better time. The corruption and dark themes of the movie parallel of modern society.

Haven’t seen The Platform on Netflix just yet? No worries! The review below lightly discusses plot points and explains the message the movie is trying to paint for audiences, but aside from the teasers, it is spoiler-free!

The Platform, a movie from Spanish director Galder Gaztely-Urrutia and titled El Hoyo, follows Goreng (Ivan Massague), a man who volunteers to enter a vertical prison that consists of cement cell blocks, one on top of the other, with a hole in the middle where a platform ascends once a day with food. The platform comes from Level 0 with a large amount of food carrying everything from gourmet meals, desserts and junk food.

The platform stays on each level for only a couple of minutes. The higher levels are treated to a banquet of options, while the lower levels get scraps at best. Needless to say, Goreng had no idea what he was signing up for!

He volunteered to be inside for six months in exchange for a diploma, but will he make it out alive?

Don’t worry too much about Goreng, though! The story isn’t about him but about the message he is trying to project for the audience. Goreng and his first cellmate find themselves on Level 48 when the movie begins. This level leaves them plenty of food to enjoy, but trouble begins when they wake up one month later on Level 171, where the platform appears with plates and cups that have already been licked clean.

It doesn’t help that Goreng picked a book as his one item he was allowed to bring with him, and Trimagasi, his cellmate, brought a knife. This isn’t Goreng’s last level, he’ll go through more, but giving any more numbers away will spoil certain events. Instead, let’s dive into the dark messages.

Simply put, if the prisoners, beginning with Level 1, would only eat their fair share of food, there would be enough for everyone. Instead, the higher levels are greedy. They spoil themselves and indulge in as much food as they possibly can. They don’t care about the lower levels at all.

At one point, Goreng is able to convince the prisoners below him to only eat a small portion of food. They are reluctant but eventually agree after Goreng threatens to mess with their food. There’s not much he can do, though, about the people above them.

The message: The rich will stay rich at any and all costs. Whether they need it or not, they’ll “eat” and grab all they can. The more one individual possesses, the greedier they become. And as their desire and greed grow, their reasoning and humanity fade.

Sound familiar? Director Galder Gaztely-Urrutia takes the saying “eat the rich” and paints a cruel picture of the realness of greed and inequality, something the world is currently suffering with in the midst of a pandemic.

The bizarre ending of The Platform may leave you scratching your head wondering what just happened. It’s a movie that will stick with you long after watching and, hopefully, changes your point of view of life for the better. Be warned, this movie is not for the faint of heart. It features violent scenes, gore, and even cannibalism. If you can handle it, it’s worth the watch!

The Platform is streaming on Netflix.