The Platform

This Spanish dystopian thriller of 2019 came from director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. Inside a vast industrial tower — the "Vertical Self-Management Center" — inmates are held in a prison that runs across many levels. Each month, prisoners are moved between floors, and their feeding is managed by a vertically moving platform initially laden with an abundance of food. The platform gradually descends through the tower's levels, stopping at each floor for a fixed time. As the inhabitants of the upper floors consume as much as they can, those below receive progressively less, leading to conflicts and a struggle for survival. The story centers on Goreng (Iván Massagué), who voluntarily agrees to stay in the center to quit smoking and read a book. He awakens on Level 48 with cellmate Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), who explains the system's rules. As the plot unfolds, Goreng encounters various characters, including Imoguiri (Antonia San Juan), a former administrator of the center, and Baharat (Emilio Buale), an inmate striving to ascend to the upper levels. The film explores themes of social inequality, human nature, and survival under extreme conditions, offering a grim perspective on resource distribution and class disparities.