Everybody is talking about The Platform on Netflix. The Spanish sci-fi horror movie directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia premiered at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival and was so successful that it picked up the People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness and was eventually acquired by Netflix for a streaming deal, meaning we can now enjoy it in all its glory. But what is the film about? And why has it got everyone talking? We've done some investigating and here is all you need to know...
WATCH: Netflix's The Platform official trailer
What is The Platform about?
The Platform tells the story of a group of inmates confined to a vertical tower-like prison, known as The Hole, who are only fed by a platform of food that descends each level. The system is intended to be fair with everyone taking their equal share of the food, but the inmates further down the tower are hindered by those above who take more than they're entitled to, leading to many dark and gruesome altercations between the inmates. Those that hoard food are at risk of being fatally overheated or frozen. Sounds intense right?
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© Photo: NetflixThe Platform will have you gripped from start to finish
The inmates, who are assigned a new level each month, consist of Goreng, at number 48, his cell mate Trimagasi, and Miharu, who descends the tower each month via the platform in search of her daughter. As you can imagine, the film takes many gory and insane twists and turns as cell mates turn on each other in the battle for survival.
Why is everybody talking about The Platform?
Apart from being a gripping yet horrifying watch, many have commented on the film's metaphorical messaging on subjects such as capitalism, the class system, and even the current coronavirus pandemic. Netflix themselves summarise the film as a "twisted social allegory about mankind at its darkest and hungriest". Without revealing any spoilers, the twist at the end has also provided a major talking point – the perfect excuse to give it a watch and find out for yourself.
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© Photo: NetflixThe film has got everybody talking
What else is there to know about The Platform?
Thanks to its intriguing plot and gruesome moments, viewers have been taking to social media to give their verdict on the film. One person tweeted: "I can't believe The Platform was only 1hr 35 minutes. It felt like 2 - 3 hours simply because of how heavy, gruesome, irky and painful it is to watch. It was torture and I couldn't blink for fear that I would miss a second. #ThePlatform #ThePlatformNetflix." High praise indeed!
Another wrote: "Just finished watching #ThePlatform in Netflix and I'm wrecked and... I need to lie down. You know it's a good one when it's that impactful. It was extreme and hard to watch but has a relevant message apt in these desperate times. 12/10 highly recommended." While one person simply stated: "One if the best movies i have seen, artistic and intelligent. #ThePlatform."
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