The Platform Review

I really liked it! Solid 8/10.

Spoilers, obviously.

I actually started watching The Platform when it came out in 2019. I stopped at the part where the old man (Trimagasi) started cutting into the main character's (Goreng's) leg, because I thought there was going to be blood and cannibalism and I could not take it. This time, I was watching it while playing Honkai Impact, so I just looked away when that happened. I was surprised to see the crazy mother (Miharu) stun Trimagasi and kill him. That scene got me hooked on the rest of the movie.

Sure, it's supposed to be some kind of critique on capitalism and greed or whatever, and I do see those themes come out, but what I loved was the characters and how they changed throughout. I've realized that I'm a sucker for internal battles and general depth of people rather than the actual story.

In general, I've noticed that the genre of horror I like is psychological horror. Especially when people do really really terrible things and it makes me feel really uncomfortable. I get this lump in my throat and my stomach feels funny. I like that feeling. I like consuming media that makes me feel things. Only when it's fake people doing that, though. It's nice to think about the uncomfortableness of something when I know that real people aren't getting hurt.

Some scenes that I particularly enjoyed:

• Religion is a motif that shows up throughout the movie. The quotes that the characters say add so much to the scene. I'm not religious myself, so I probably wasn't able to understand the full meaning of the allusions to the Messiah, but I think I understood the general vibe. I really liked the quote about eating flesh and drinking wine. I suppose it's especially relevant since Spain is mostly Catholic (I don't know if this is a true statement). Oh and also that quote about knowing how to spend money well at the end, when they gave the panna cotta to the girl.
• Trimagasi and Imoguiri talking in Goreng's head after he ate their flesh.
• I thought it was interesting that there were a lot of characters that showed up, each with their own interesting quirks. The movie did not offer much explanation to the wise man in the wheelchair, and whatever, and that was nice. You don't get information on everybody in real life, so you're left guessing. It was nice. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to learning about the past of each of the characters in the Hole, but it's a limited movie with limited time.
• As a follow up to the previous one, I like the soft world-building. The endless mention of the Administration is the example that comes to mind.
• Whatever is going on with Miharu and her child is beyond interesting. I don't believe that Imoguiri was wrong when she said that Miharu came alone, considering that she was the one conducting the interviews. She has worked with the Administration for 25 years, though, and it is possible for Miharu to have conceived a child while in the Hole. I don't think it's as likely, because then she would have had to been in the Hole for over 10 years, which seems like a really really long time, and I don't think anyone's sentence is that long. Well, I suppose we'll never know. It does explain why Miharu goes down every month, to see the child. Maybe she brings a body down to feed her. Maybe that's why the child is still alive. It's unclear.

I really wished Trimagasi and Imoguiri showed up more, especially in the end when Tramagasi is in his weird adventure with Baharat. I suppose it makes sense, because he was in less mental anguish during this whole process. I guess they showed up at the end, but I actually didn't really pay attention to the ending. It was a lot of dialogue on the bottom floor or something, and since I was doing something else (probably gaming) and don't understand Spanish. I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending. I get that it's supposed to be open-ended and whatnot, but there wasn't a feeling of relief or resolvement in general. I'm not sure how to put it.

I'd like to interpret the movie as a piece that intends to show us how we are shaped by those around us. After eating the flesh of Tramagasi, Goreng takes up his mannerisms. Imoguiri's aspirations speaks to Goreng, who was like Imoguiri when he first arrived. He's also inspired by Baharat's initiative to do something. Everyone in the Platform act like how they do because of how it is. At least, that's what Tramagasi says. The people above won't speak to you because you're below them, so don't speak to the people below, because they're below you. You see this reflected in real life. It's a good message to have, I think.

I don't have much else to say that's super fleshed out. I am writing this instead of doing work that I really should be doing, so I'm not going to put more thought into this (oopsie). Good movie. I would recommend. It made me feel things and I love feeling things.