The Platform (El Hoyo)
released 2019
www.ink2quill.com

“The Platform”, (“El Hoyo” in Spanish), is a Spanish, scifi, horror, prison film produced by Raquel Perea, Carlos Juarez, Angeles Hernandez, David Matamoros and Elena Gozalo. It was directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and written by David Desola and Pedro Rivero. It stars Ivan Massague, Zorion Eguileor, Alexandra Masangkay, Eric Goode, Antonia San Juan, Emilio Buale Coka, Zihara Llana, Mario Pardo, Algis Arlauskas, Txubio Fernandez de Jauregui, Oscar Oliver and many others.

The Platform or El Hoyo IMDb webpage

“The Platform” or “El Hoyo” (The Hole) is a prison story unlike any I´ve seen before. I´ll try to give you an idea without giving away any spoilers. The main character Goreng, played by Ivan Massague, wakes up in a prison cell which is essentially a cement cell with a square opening on the ceiling and one on the floor and through these two openings passes a platform which descends every day with food on it. Good food. Gourmet food on fancy dishes. This prison is called The Hole and survival is anything but easy.

“The Platform” is not just a story of hardship, dehumanization and survival in an unfair, horrific environment but it´s also about solving the hack that would make this prison unsustainable as a means of dehumanization and torture. That is the draw for me. After all, the idea of a prison should be a paradox. I mean how can so few people, even if they are armed, control so many, even if you factor in technology and cement walls. The prisoners almost always have the advantage, if you think about it, but they never seem to realize it. They are destabilized by scarcity and trap themselves in cycles of violence and revenge that clouds this realization.

The brilliant thing about this movie is that you have three characters that realize this fact and work toward bringing the place down. I loved those three characters because of what drove them. Through it all they had their heads in the right place. Goreng was thoughtful and remained disgusted by The Hole, which is a very healthy reaction to such a place. Baharat, played by Emilio Buale Coka, was the personification of drive with a good heart and Imoguiri, played by Antonia San Juan, who is herself doomed but comes up with a brilliant plan that gives the story hope.

It always fascinated me how many of the prison archetype stories rely on people having the wisdom to lay down their hatreds, false ideas that would have them attack others and just plain laziness to solve the problem of survival and exiting the prison that would dehumanize them and take their lives. I think it really is the best model for good vs. evil there is. In that model good only wins with much effort, cooperation and sacrifice.

“The Platform” is a good film that is worth the watch, even if it is a little disgusting, like watching the characters walking, spitting and vomiting on food the others below will have to eat.

Watch and enjoy this riddle of a film.

John

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