The Platform Scene That Might Have Gone Too Far
Dark, savage, and at times, unrelenting, are just a few accurate descriptors for 2019's dark horror film "The Platform." Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, the film follows Goreng (Ivan Massague) as he volunteers to stay in a vertical prison in order to fasttrack his way to a degree. But this is no ordinary prison. A giant banquet is prepared by top chefs for those living on floor zero, which is located at the very top. Each floor has two inhabitants who get to eat as much as they want. This means that the further down you are level-wise, the less food you get, if any. Goreng must stave off hunger, not to mention an insane cellmate named Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), who is armed with a knife.
Gaztelu-Urrutia crafts a startling feature film debut that is chock full of symbolism, as well as a compelling commentary on modern class systems. It even manages to pull in literary and biblical meta text to build a rich and interesting film (via Signal Horizon). In terms of scenes that went too far, well, this movie is certainly filled with its fair share. Cannibalism, assault of various kinds, and just general shocking violence coats every square foot of this allegorical offering. But, one scene in particular really shocked audiences.
The movie includes a brutal cannibal feast
The rules in "The Platform" state that everyone is systematically moved one level each month. Therefore, people in this prison will either ascend or descend depending on one's fate, be it cruel or kind. They do this by gassing everyone and then moving the people while they are passed out. After one of these shifts, when Goreng awakes, to his horror, he finds himself tied up. In this harrowing scene, we learn that "friend" and cellmate Trimagasi has bound him with a sinister contraption to literally devour Goreng alive. What adds an extra layer of unsettling unpleasantness is just how calmly Trimagasi explains his plan to Goreng.
Taking this a step further, Trimagasi even offers to share Goreng's meat with him, and says that he will only be taking pieces bit by bit. This is just how incredibly desperate things get when you reach a certain lower level in "The Platform." Trimagasi manages to take a chunk off, but thankfully, Goreng is saved. This comes in the form of Miharu (Alexandra Masangkay), an ally who Goreng saves earlier in the film. After that, Trimagasi is brutally killed by Goreng. While there are other instances and references to cannibalism in the film, this moment is extremely intense, as viewers begin to imagine themselves in Goreng's place. Luckily, things didn't quite go full "Hannibal" here, in the movie, but this scene is certainly one of the harder parts of "The Platform" to stomach.