The Platform

"There are 3 kinds of people; the ones above, the ones below, and the ones who fall."

2019 1h 35m ES

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 8,062

DramaScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. The residents above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent.

“There are 3 kinds of people; the ones above, the ones below, and the ones who fall.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ivan Massagué
Goreng
Antonia San Juan
Imoguiri
Zorion Eguileor
Trimagasi
Emilio Buale
Baharat
Alexandra Masangkay
Miharu
Zihara Llana
Mali
Mario Pardo
Baharat's Friend
Algis Arlauskas
Inmate #1

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Writers: David Desola, David Desola, Pedro Rivero
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 91% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Platform Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, shot by Jon D. Domínguez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Aránzazu Calleja. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Elena Ruiz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ivan Massagué and Antonia San Juan and Zorion Eguileor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia directs. Jon D. Domínguez behind the camera. Aránzazu Calleja scores. Elena Ruiz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Spain. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 91% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 7 years ago.
4Part of the "The Platform Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, shot by Jon D. Domínguez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Aránzazu Calleja. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Elena Ruiz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ivan Massagué and Antonia San Juan and Zorion Eguileor carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "There are 3 kinds of people; the ones above, the ones below, and the ones who fall.".
10IMDB entry: tt8228288 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "capitalism", "survival", "anarchism", "secret prison".
12Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jon D. Domínguez
Original score: Aránzazu Calleja
Editing: Elena Ruiz
Production design: Azegiñe Urigoitia
Makeup / hair: Amaia Zaballa
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,203,235
Box office: $1,090,116
Return: 91% of budget
Original language: ES
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Platform (2019)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Visual Effects
Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness
Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Platform Collection

Collection of movies telling the dark events that take place in a prison made up of several levels, two people per level, and a platform with food for everyone.

Also by

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Leno2020-03-27
★ 3/10
don't waste your time. Most of the movie happens in a sort of multi-floor prison where the top levels can control the food that goes to the bottom floors. This created a sort of class structure where top-levelers had pleasure on denying food to the bottom levels, although the floors were sorted periodically. The protagonist started to question this structure and tried to change it. Although starting well, the movie lost its track trying to be too much symbolic and enigmatic. The ending was very disappointing leaving too many loose ends that should have been closed.
Shumafuk2020-03-27
★ 8/10
A violent form of demonstration of the problems of capitalist society. Despite the fact that the level of violence is too much for me, I understand purpose of it for narration. Actually I find this film quite spiritual. The parallel between Jesus and Christian values is quite obvious.
Manuel São Bento2020-03-29
★ 7/10
If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Netflix has been supporting small, independent filmmaking for a while now. In 2018, Roma (re)opened a Best Picture nomination path to foreign films. Last year, Martin Scorsese's epic The Irishman could only come to life via streaming since no major studio wanted a three-and-a-half-hour runtime for a theater release. Between these two, dozens of other indie flicks got Netflix's (or other streaming networks) support. 2020 brings us a Spanish horror-thriller from a first-time director (Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia): The Platform (or El Hoyo). Since its showing at TIFF, this movie has been receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback. So, obviously, I needed to add it to my list. I watched it a couple of days ago, and I wanted to take time to think about it because it's definitely going to become a divisive film, especially among general audiences. The Platform carries an extremely abstract narrative, filled with symbolism, metaphors, analogies, and allegories to our political-social-economic situation. It's not a straightforward thriller at all. It's a tremendously intriguing concept, developed through captivating storytelling and a very dark tone. It's a prison that resembles our society of today. Filled with hypocrisy and selfishness. One month, you're the king of the world on a level where food comes in excess, but you still want it all for yourself, ignoring desperate requests from down below. As soon as in the next day, you're a miserable human being, fighting for scraps with your "cellmate", and on the exact same position those desperate people were before... And now you want their help?! That last narrative analogy to the real world is undoubtedly my favorite. I was never a fan of politics (who is?), so analogies and symbolism regarding that part of our life don't really impact me. However, it's clear that the screenwriters put a lot of effort into making such a meaningful story. If the ambiguousness is removed from the screenplay, there's still plenty to enjoy. Goreng's arc goes from just trying to get a diploma to actually save the people from lower levels. His story takes the viewer through tons of violence, blood, gore, and genuinely disgusting sequences. Therefore, people who want straight-up popcorn-action instead of a more philosophical take as the filmmakers intended, there's a lot to be entertained by. The Platform is also another proof that you don't need a massive budget to build an immersive atmosphere. The set and production design are as simple as they could be, but it's especially due to that simplicity that the claustrophobic prison works so well. For a directorial debut, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia does an excellent job of controlling the pacing and applying the right shots to each situation. Unfortunately, my main issue is the same as most people: the ending. I will restrain myself from giving away any minor spoilers, so I'll just write that it doesn't work at all levels, at least not for me. As expected, it's as ambiguous as the rest of the movie. As soon as I finished the film, I was frustrated by so many unanswered (logical) questions, and after a couple of days of thinking about it, these questions still exist. You'll never find an answer to everything, but that was never the main goal. There has to be a balance between reality and fiction. Between what's real and what's just a metaphoric symbol. No one can justify everything with "oh, it's just a representation of something else". For me, there are two ways of interpreting the ending: I could either take everything literally, which would raise tons of questions without an answer, or I could try and solely look at the story through Goreng's perspective. I do believe the latter approach is the best one, even if it still carries other issues regarding secondary characters. It doesn't answer everything, but it's the perspective I find to make more sense with the movie. It makes the screenplay more cohesive and congruent. Nevertheless, the problem I can't seem to avoid is the abrupt break in tone. For such a brutal, raw, bloody display of human behavior in a situation of survival (the way colors are used is very clever), the climax feels detached from everything that comes before. The underlying themes are there from the get-go, but these are precisely what they are: secondary messages lying under a pretty real story. Going from horrible murders, sacrifices, and God knows what else, to such a philosophical, soulful ending in the way the film does... it's far from a seamless transition. Basically, if you go in expecting definite answers about whatever this prison is, who controls it, and how it truly works, you'll probably leave disappointed and frustrated. It's one of those movies that heavily relies on how people perceive its ending and how much impact does it cause on an overall opinion. Looking at the conclusion solely from Goreng's perspective works the best for me, even if some unanswered (logical) questions still exist. The abrupt break in tone transitioning to the film's climax is my main problem, but The Platform has plenty of positives. An extremely intriguing premise is developed through remarkably captivating storytelling, and an exceptional cast elevates the well-written screenplay. First-time director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and his team do an excellent job. Set and production design prove how a small budget can still create an immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere. Even if the ending only works partially, the symbolism and allegories of our world's politics and social-economic situation are a brilliant, thought-provoking piece of a screenplay. I like more it the more I think about it. Rating: B+