Fantastic Fest 2019 review: THE PLATFORM is a brutal metaphor about wealth inequality with a sci-fi twist

In The Platform (El Hoyo), the Spanish-language thriller from Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, the concept of trickle down economics is taken to its very real (and brutal) end. A dazed man named Goreng (Ivan Massague) wakes up in a concrete cell, with only an older man named Trimagasi as his companion (Zorion Eguileoras). There is a hole in the ground above them, from which a banquet table of food is lowered once a day, before quickly making its way down to the levels below. In order to survive, Goreng and Trimagasi have to gorge on the leftovers from those above them. But what responsibility do they have to all of those below?

The metaphors of income disparity and the fight for resources are always front and center in The Platform, but never overtake what is still an intriguing mystery. Like Cube or the first Saw, the action in the film is mostly contained in a very small windowless room, which helps maintain the film’s claustrophobic feel, and which ramps up considerably as Goreng realizes that he’s not confined to one level; every 30 days he is assigned a new level in The Pit, which will literally determine his place on the food chain and ensure his survival or death by starvation.

The Platform never shies away from the horrors that something like The Pit would produce; there’s rampant violence, madness, and plenty of cannibalism as those stuck in this system try to get by. We learn that some of them are there voluntarily, like Goreng, who accepted a stint in The Pit in exchange for a degree upon his release, while others have been sentenced there for various crimes. Either way, they are all a part of the same uncaring system that assigns them a level seemingly at random.

Eventually, Goreng and a partner devise a plan to beat The Pit, trying to ferment a socialist-style revolution by ensuring that each level only eat what they need, leaving enough for each successive level beneath them. While the violence only increases as the film rushes towards its finale, a late addition subplot needlessly complicates the film’s initial streamlined storyline, without ever fully realizing many of the themes Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia is working with here.

It’s a shame that the film isn’t able to wrap up its great premise in a satisfying way, but The Platform remains a riveting and tough look at the haves and the haves nots and how we coexist with those around us. It’s a smart and effective thriller that poses challenging questions about human nature and greed, while remaining a taught and visceral watch. You’ll be mulling this one over long after you leave the theatre, and you’ll definitely never look at a buffet the same way again.

The Platform was purchased by Netflix during TIFF. No release date has been announced yet.