Better Late Than Never on "The Platform"
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I was out to coffee with my brother and my dad the other day and the two of them kept talking about this movie called "The Platform". Well, that's the name in English. But they were both giving it very positive reviews and remarks. They were talking so much about it so I asked them what the deal was with this movie. I wanted to know why they liked it so much. What made it work. Instead of giving me a breakdown, my dad told me to watch it that day when I got home.
So I did. I fired up Netflix, set it up to the English dub and watched it all unfold for the next 90 minutes. And they were correct. This was a very good, very unique movie. And before people get mad, I know the English dub is the "improper" way to watch a foreign movie, but I didn't feel like reading subtitles, I don't know Spanish and I just wanted to enjoy my time watching the movie. Anyway, as I watched this movie it all started to make sense as to what they were talking about. The whole premise of this movie is that people are put into rooms that are numbered. And each day food is lowered down from room to room on a platform and the people in the rooms have a certain amount of time to eat the food that is on the platform. So, if you are on one of the first 20 or so floors, you're eating ok. But as the platform goes further down, food gets more scarce until there is none left. The movie tells us the story of one of the people in these rooms, and how they try to survive the ordeal. But the movie goes into much, much more detail than that. I have been thinking about it since I finished on Tuesday. I have been batting around the idea of, is the place they're all in, for lack of a better term, jail? Or is it hell? Or something totally different? The people in the movie will talk about "getting out" in a few months. So does that definitely make it jail? Who's to tell. They also talk about what some will do to stay alive and eat. The main character's first roommate talks about why he does some of the things he is driven to do. He is clearly out of his mind, but he thinks that what he is doing is the proper thing to survive. Each month they get transported to a new room. Sometimes they go higher, making it all the way to the 6th floor. But other months they end up in the dregs, going as low as room 171. This is where all the mind games and tricks come into play. We also come to realize that some people are there voluntarily, while others are there for committing a crime or doing something wrong. The main guy is doing six months there so he can get a degree. But his first roommate threw an air conditioner out of his room that struck a passerby and ended their life. This brings the jail or hell question back into play. But the movie starts to take on a whole new level when the idea of a child is introduced. The main character has a roommate at one point who tells him that no one under 16 is admitted. But there is another person there who claims to be looking for their child. For a bit there's even a question if this kid exists. The "mom" does horrible things to a dog, and the dog's owner tells the main character that this "mom" is just a wannabe actor. But then some other stuff happens that makes me think the kid is real. Watch the movie if you want to know if the kid is real or not. But all the way through the movie many other things pop up. I put myself in that scenario and think, what would I resort to in this situation. You aren't allowed to hold onto food on the levels or else the people in charge will do something to the room, be it make it very hot or very cold. They show the kitchen staff throughout the movie, and they seem to truly care about the food they are putting on that platform. This led me to ask questions like, do they know where the food is going, do they like their job, do they know about the people? All of that came to mind while watching.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. I was engaged throughout and wanted to see more. They did make a sequel, which I will eventually watch. I thought that this was a solid movie with some really interesting conundrums. I say to definitely check this movie out if you have Netflix. It is well worth your time.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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