The Platform (2019) is a Spanish sci-fi horror thriller set in a vertical prison known as "The Pit," where a slab of food descends floor by floor. Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, it explores class inequality and survival instincts.
Synopsis
In a dystopian future, prisoners are housed in a vertical self-management center called "The Pit," where residents on upper levels feast on a lavish banquet while those below starve. Goreng, a voluntary inmate, wakes up on level 48 and quickly realizes the system's brutal nature, sparking a desperate mission to survive and send a message to the administration that could change everything.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
Spanish |
Country |
Spain |
Premiere date |
November 8, 2019 |
Running time |
94 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Horror Thriller Mystery Drama |
Budget |
$1,100,000 (estimated) |
Box Office |
$1,096,575 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia |
Produced by |
Carlos Juárez Ángeles Hernández David Matamoros |
Written by |
David Desola Pedro Rivero |
Music by |
Aránzazu Calleja |
Cinematography |
Jon D. Domínguez |
Edited by |
Haritz Zubillaga Elena Ruiz |
Production Co. |
Basque Films Mr. Miyagi Films Plataforma La Película A.I.E. |
Distributed by |
Netflix Festival Films |
Top Cast |
|
|
|
Official Trailer |
|
Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in The Platform Collection
|
The Plot
Level 48: The Vertical Self-Management Center
Goreng awakens in a concrete cell, disoriented and confused. He finds himself on Level 48, sharing the space with an older man named Trimagasi. Trimagasi explains that they are in "The Pit" (or the Vertical Self-Management Center), a tower-style prison where a single platform of food descends from the top floor to the bottom once a day. Trimagasi assures him that Level 48 is a "good level" where they will likely receive leftovers. He explains the grim reality: they will remain on this level for exactly one month before being randomly reassigned to a new level. When Goreng asks what they will eat, Trimagasi bluntly states it will be whatever the people above them have decided not to want.
Suddenly, the platform lowers, filled with the scraps and remains of a once-lavish banquet. Trimagasi immediately begins to gorge himself on the leftovers. Goreng, disgusted by the sight of half-eaten food, refuses to partake but grabs a single apple, intending to save it for later. As the platform descends, Trimagasi drinks the remaining wine and hypocritically spits on the inmates below. Moments later, the temperature in the room begins to rise unbearably. Trimagasi explains that hoarding food is strictly prohibited; Goreng must discard the apple or they will be burned alive. Goreng throws the apple down the hole, and the temperature instantly returns to normal.
The Samurai-Plus and The Reason for Admission
A flashback reveals Goreng’s voluntary admission to the facility. He agreed to a six-month stay in exchange for an accredited diploma and the opportunity to quit smoking and read Don Quixote. When asked what single item he wished to bring, he chose the book. Back in the present, Goreng shares this with Trimagasi, who is shocked that anyone would enter voluntarily. In return, Trimagasi shares his own story. He was admitted for manslaughter after throwing a television out of a window in a fit of rage over a misleading advertisement for a "Samurai-Plus" knife, accidentally killing an illegal immigrant. Given the choice between a psychiatric institute or the Pit, he chose the prison. His chosen item was the very Samurai-Plus knife that caused his rage.
As the reality of the prison sets in, Goreng learns from Trimagasi that there are at least 132 levels. Trimagasi warns that below that depth, no food remains. He explains that the real danger isn't just being on a low level, but being assigned to low levels consecutively. Goreng tries to plead with the prisoners above and below to ration the food, but his altruism is met with silence from above and insults from below, while Trimagasi mocks him as a "communist."
Miharu’s Descent
Days turn into weeks, and hunger forces Goreng to adapt; he eventually begins eating the scraps alongside Trimagasi. One day, the monotony is broken when a body crashes onto their level. Goreng is horrified, but Trimagasi remains cynical, noting that those above have too much time to think, leading to suicide. Goreng demands to know Trimagasi’s history, and the old man lists his previous levels, the most recent being 132. Goreng deduces that Trimagasi cannibalized his former cellmate to survive that month, an accusation Trimagasi neither confirms nor denies.
Their confrontation is interrupted by the arrival of Miharu, a silent woman riding the platform down. Trimagasi explains that she acts as a "mad woman" searching for her lost son. As the platform descends to Level 49, the two men below attack her. Goreng begs them to stop, but Trimagasi goads him to jump. To Goreng’s relief, Miharu violently kills her attackers and continues her descent. The month eventually ends, and Trimagasi warns Goreng that gas will flood the room to sedate them for the level transfer. He confides that he has grown fond of Goreng and prays they receive a favorable assignment.
Level 171: The Butcher’s Deal
Goreng wakes up bound and gagged to his bed structure. They are now on Level 171. Trimagasi, free and holding his knife, explains the dire situation: no food will reach this depth. He admits he tied Goreng up to prevent him from going mad with hunger and killing him. Trimagasi proposes a horrific compromise: he will not kill Goreng, but will instead slice small pieces of his flesh to sustain them both for the month, promising to care for the wounds. When the platform arrives, it contains only broken glass and licked-clean plates, confirming their doom.
For a week, Goreng watches helplessly as Trimagasi lives out a routine of reading Don Quixote and checking the empty platform. Finally, weakened by fasting, Trimagasi decides it is time to feed. He approaches Goreng, blaming the system and those above for what he is about to do. Just as Trimagasi cuts into Goreng’s thigh, Miharu descends on the platform. She ambushes the old man, critically wounding him, and cuts Goreng free. Seizing the Samurai-Plus knife, Goreng unleashes his rage, stabbing Trimagasi repeatedly until he collapses. In the aftermath, Miharu feeds Goreng strips of Trimagasi’s flesh, forcing him to cross the line of cannibalism to survive. Haunted by hallucinations of the dead Trimagasi, Goreng spends the rest of the month rotting in the dark, consuming his former cellmate.
Level 33: Spontaneous Solidarity
Goreng awakens on Level 33 with a new cellmate, Imoguiri, the administration official who interviewed him. She has brought her dog, Ramesses II, into the Pit. Imoguiri reveals she came voluntarily after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, hoping to fix the system from within. She believes there are 200 levels and that if everyone ate only what they needed, food would reach the bottom. She calls this "spontaneous solidarity."
Imoguiri attempts to ration the food, preparing modest portions for the men on Level 34 and pleading with them to do the same for those below. Her pleas are ignored and mocked. Goreng, cynical from his trauma, tells her that kindness does not work here. Weeks pass, and Goreng finally snaps. He violently threatens the men below, swearing to defecate on the food if they do not ration it. The threat works instantly. Imoguiri is disappointed in his methods, but Goreng asserts that in the Pit, fear is the only language understood.
The Death of Ramesses II
One day, Miharu arrives on the platform, battered and injured. Goreng and Imoguiri nurse her back to health. However, the room suddenly begins to freeze, indicating someone has kept food. Goreng realizes Ramesses II has a scrap of meat. He chases the dog, throws the meat down the hole, and the temperature stabilizes. That night, Goreng wakes to the sounds of a struggle. Miharu, driven by a feral instinct, has killed the dog and is eating it. By morning, Miharu is gone.
Imoguiri is devastated. She reveals the truth about Miharu: she was an aspiring actress with no children. The son she searches for does not exist; the Pit does not admit anyone under 16. Shattered by the reality of the facility she dedicated her life to, and grieving her dog, Imoguiri loses her will to fight. On the final day of the month, Goreng wakes to find his favorite dish, Escargots à la Bourguignonne, untouched on the platform, but the joy is hollow.
Level 202: The Gift of Flesh
Goreng wakes up in horror on Level 202. He turns to see that Imoguiri has hanged herself. A hallucination of Trimagasi appears, mocking him and asking if he will eat her. Imoguiri’s spirit manifests, telling him she killed herself to give him her body as a "gift" so he could survive. Driven by desperation as the empty platform descends, Goreng eventually uses the Samurai-Plus knife to carve into Imoguiri’s body, consuming her while Trimagasi’s voice torments him.
Level 6: The Plan to Descend
The next month brings a miracle: Level 6. Goreng wakes up screaming from a nightmare, but his new cellmate, Baharat, is ecstatic. Baharat, a man of faith, attempts to climb to the upper level using a rope, pleading with the couple on Level 5 to help him escape. They initially agree, but as he climbs, they sabotage him, defecating on his face and sending him falling back down. Baharat is crushed, believing his chance at salvation is lost.
Goreng, however, sees a different path. With access to the fully stocked platform, he convinces Baharat to join him on a suicide mission: they will ride the platform all the way down, rationing the food by force to ensure everyone gets a share. They arm themselves with metal bars torn from the bedframes. Their goal shifts when they reach Level 19, where a wise sage advises them that feeding the hungry isn't enough; they must send a message to the Administration on Level 0. They decide to preserve a single panna cotta as a symbol of the Pit's failure to break their humanity.
The Descent into Madness
Goreng and Baharat begin their descent. For the first 50 levels, they defend the food, fighting off gluttonous prisoners. At Level 51, they begin distributing rations. The journey becomes increasingly violent as hunger turns prisoners into savages. On Level 124, they find Miharu being attacked by a massive inmate. They intervene, but they are too late; Miharu is stabbed to death. In the ensuing brawl, Baharat is severely slashed with a katana, and Goreng is brutally beaten. Despite their critical injuries, they continue downward.
As they pass Level 250, the platform accelerates, not stopping at levels where the prisoners are already dead. Goreng realizes his estimation of the Pit’s depth was woefully wrong. They descend into the deep 300s, barely clinging to life, yet still protecting the pristine panna cotta.
Level 333: The Girl
The platform finally halts at Level 333. There is no one there—or so it seems—until they spot a small child hiding under the bed. It is a young girl, contradicting Imoguiri’s claim that no children are in the Pit. She is Miharu’s daughter. The platform descends into the dark void beneath the bottom level, but Goreng and Baharat step off to help the child. Realizing the girl is starving, Goreng makes the ultimate decision: he feeds her the panna cotta, sacrificing their "message" to save a life.
That night, Goreng hallucinates Trimagasi again, who questions his choice. Goreng realizes the panna cotta wasn't the message; the girl is. She is the proof that humanity can persist in hell. The next morning, Goreng discovers that Baharat has bled out and died from his wounds.
The Final Ascent
Goreng takes the girl and boards the platform as it descends into the unknown darkness at the very bottom of the shaft. In the void, he hallucinates Trimagasi one last time. Trimagasi tells him that his journey is over and that he cannot accompany the girl to the top; the message requires no bearer. Acceptance washes over Goreng. He steps off the platform, walking away into the darkness with Trimagasi, leaving the girl alone on the platform. As the platform begins to shoot upward at incredible speed, the girl rises toward Level 0, a symbol of resistance ascending from the depths.
