Movie: The Platform
My Rating: 5 stars
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this jazzed about a movie. It feels uncommon to encounter new ideas. And, while this film isn’t exactly working with a new idea, it does manage to present the material in a way that feels really fresh and exciting . . . and terrifying, and dreadful. This is a slow burn horror film made by Basque filmmakers. And, it combines some of my favorite film genres. At its core, this is a prison movie. And, it’s set in a moderately dystopic future. Not a society that’s completely broken down, but more like one controlled by a totalitarian, bureaucratic government that cares so little for the common working man that its citizens are willing to risk anything to get ahead in the world.
The movie is set entirely within the prison, so we never really get to see how political conditions are on the outside. But, there are enough context clues to convey what an oppressive and hopeless place this must be to live. (The message feels like a political statement). It seems like some inmates are there as punishment. But, others have chosen to enter voluntarily with the promise that the government will grant them some sort of modest status boost as reward. Life on the outside must be pretty dire, because this is a huge gamble to make on the chance of a slightly easier life. Especially since no one really knows what’s going on inside. The layout of this prison is incredibly simple, and terribly chilling. It seems to be a shaft built deep into the earth, with a single cell on each “floor.” There are two inhabitants per floor. And, prisoners eat once day from a platform that slowly descends through the shaft. The platform is only loaded once with food at the top, so while the residents on higher floors can feast, the people on lower floors aren’t so lucky. And, no one really knows how deep the prison goes. The script really plays with this sense of foreboding.
This is a very dark movie. And, it really teases out that feeling of dread. The tension starts off as just a little confusion as we acclimate to the situation our main character wakes up it. But, it gradually ratchets up to all-out existential dread. Individuals who go into this prison don’t come out the same people . . . if they ever come out at all. It’s an expertly crafted story, and was truly written by a master of suspense. And, this is an especially impressive feat given that the whole thing is almost a closed-room drama. All we’re given is the interactions and interpersonal relations between the very few characters we meet.
I rate this one as a definite, must-watch . . . if you can handle stressful existential horror stories . . . and a fair amount of violence. But, it isn’t counting on cheap scares or hideous monsters to frighten the viewer. It’s more of a “stress horror,” with a barely-veiled political message condemning authoritarianism or something. But, however you categorize it, this is top-notch filmmaking, and I think I’m going to have to watch it again.