Galders Gaztelu-Urrutia’s thriller/social science fiction horror movie “The Platform” (Spanish: El Hoyo, transl, The Hole) was a surprise hit at the Toronto Film festival back in 2019. It’s suspenseful, dramatic, and extremely gory, full of starvation, cannibalism, and suicide. The film is set in a tower-style “Vertical Self-Management Center” in which every 30 days its residents are switched around to a new level with new people.

Each day extravagant and delicious foods are prepared for each “inmate’s” liking and sent down on a large platform. This platform magically descends through the gap in the tower’s center at each level for a fixed amount of time every 24 hours. However the further down your floor is, will determine how much, if any, food you’ll be eating each day.

The film begins with a young man named Goreng regaining consciousness on the 48th floor in a concrete cell with just another cellmate for “company”. His company is a seemingly wise yet oddly suspicious older man named Trimagasi who’s been on the platform for almost a year. Goreng’s elderly companion immediately explains how the platform works and the rules that follow along with it. He goes on a journey of solidarity throughout the movie as he begins to realize what this place (the platform) really is and how it affects the people within it.

Goreng known as the “Messiah” in the movie is played by Ivan Massague, an incredible actor. He goes through many fascinating and realistic emotions from being in denial to having a bit of acceptance in the end.

This movie is phenomenal and extremely enjoyable; from the actors, the setting, and the overall meaning. “solidarity or s**t”  It’s a mirror of our current society. It’s a “sharp critique” or representation of wealth inequality and capitalism where those at the top get excess amounts while those at the bottom starve and suffer. It definitely is a 10/10 movie and would recommend watching it if you’re into movies that have deeper meanings.