Dystopian film The Platform, which arrived on Netflix on March 20, is being dubbed as the Spanish Parasite. An article by Insider points out how this new release—which also goes by the title El Hoyo—shares similar themes with that of Bong Joon Ho's highly acclaimed, Oscar-winning movie as it depicts social classes and human greed. Add to the fact that both movies are full of suspense and twists. An older work of director Bong, the 2013 sci-fi film Snowpiercer, is also compared to the Spanish movie.
Here's the sitch in this disturbing, gory film: In a vertical "prison" with hundreds of floors, a platform filled with food descends from the top level every day. In the film, there's more than enough food to feed everyone, if all the inmates only eat what they need. The problem is, those at the top consume more than their fair share, which means that those at the bottom go hungry.
Goreng (Iván Massagué) tries to make a difference as he enters the tower-like prison. There, he meets Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), his cell mate and discovers that doing things right isn't as easy as it should be. The film also stars Antonia San Juan (Imoguiri), Emilio Buale Coka (Baharat), and Alexandra Masangkay (Miharu).
Here are some quotes that will make you want to watch—and rewatch—The Platform:
"Hunger unleashes that madman in us. It's better to eat than be eaten." — Trimagasi
"Change never happens spontaneously." — Goreng
"This isn't a great place for someone who likes books. I've worked for them for 25 years. For eight years, I've sent people to this hell. I didn't know what I was doing, because I didn't know. I swear I didn't know." — Imoguiri
"There are three types of people: Those at the top, those at the bottom, and those who fall." — Trimagasi
"If everyone ate only what they needed, the food would reach the lowest levels." — Imoguiri
"Don't speak to the people below...because they're down below. The people above won't answer you...because they're above, obviously." — Trimagasi
"The Administration has no conscience. However, there is a slim chance that people on Level 0 do. That's where you must send your message. And how do we do that? With a symbol." — Sr. Brambang
"The panna cotta is the message. The panna cotta is the message. The panna cotta is the message." — Baharat
"Friends, I ask you not to approach the platform. We want you to join a peaceful protest movement that will inexorably change the course." — Imoguiri
"We don't know where we'll be tomorrow." — Goreng
The director, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, explained in an interview with NME that the film is a criticism of many ideologies, not just capitalism. Watch the trailer for The Platform here:
this strange new world.