A vertical prison where the top floor eats like kings and the bottom starves.
In short: In the dystopian thriller The Platform, inmates inhabit a tower where a single food-laden slab descends through hundreds of levels. Those at the top feast, while those below are left with scraps or nothing at all. It is a brutal, allegorical exploration of wealth distribution and human survival.
Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and released in 2019, The Platform—or El hoyo—is set in the Vertical Self-Management Center, a concrete tower housing convicts. Each month, prisoners are randomly reassigned to different levels. A platform carrying gourmet food stops briefly at each floor, forcing residents to eat quickly before the slab descends further. The architecture is designed to be cold and dehumanized, with only two physical tiers of cells built for production; the illusion of hundreds of levels was achieved through visual effects.
The film follows Goreng, who volunteers for a six-month stay in exchange for a diploma. As he descends through the levels, he encounters the harsh reality of the facility, where cannibalism and violence are common responses to scarcity. The director intended the lavish food to act as an aesthetic antagonist to the prison's brutal environment, representing excessive desire that is eventually desecrated as it reaches the starving lower levels. The film’s violence is meant to reflect the harsh realities of society, showing how individuals can turn on one another during a crisis.
Upon its release on Netflix in March 2020, the film became a massive success, reaching 56 million households in its first four weeks. Its popularity surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with critics noting its relevance as a parable for societal stratification and inherent selfishness. While some reviewers found the narrative muddled, others praised its inventive, high-concept approach, comparing its minimalist fury to the works of Samuel Beckett. The director views the film as a call for fairer wealth distribution, emphasizing that individual initiative is essential for driving political change.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Platform (film)
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