The Platform's sequel, diving deeper into humanity's dark side
9:44 AM EDT, April 24, 2024
It's uncommon for films to provoke such disgust among their subscribers that they feel compelled to stop watching. This was the case with Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia's "The Platform," which joined the service's lineup in 2019. It has now been confirmed that a sequel is in the works.
Based on a script by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, the Spanish production has an extremely original starting point. Its main character, Goreng, volunteers for a strange social experiment involving prisoners. Participants and convicts are paired up on floors with a large space in the middle, through which a platform moves once a day. This platform carries various kinds of food. This peculiar elevator on each floor only stops for a few minutes. However, the amount of food is limited, and if those above do not exercise restraint, the inhabitants below get leftovers or... nothing. What disgusted viewers of "The Platform", and what can we expect from its sequel?
"Differences have always been clear"
Adopting the framework of a science fiction thriller, "The Platform" was, of course, a story about social inequalities, the brutal laws that govern the capitalist world, and the primal instincts that drive a person placed in an extreme situation. Already at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film premiered, its universal message was emphasized, and at the same time, it hit the mark in terms of the timing of its creation.
– The audience commented: "Historically speaking, this is the ideal moment to be showing a film like this because the differences between those who have the most and those who have the least have never been as great as they are now." - to what Urrutia replied: "Well actually it’s always the perfect time to be screening a film like The Platform', because we’ve always been living through at a time when these differences are so stark." Thanks to hitting streaming, his terrifying vision reached many people.
Extreme and difficult
The new context for "The Platform" was brought by life itself. After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, we started to fight on our own for masks, vaccines, and essential products in stores. Although behind Netflix's hit lies a quite profound idea and a philosophical discussion about the condition of humanity, something else attracted millions of viewers to the screens—the scenes of violence depicted literally.
When the news of the exceptional brutality of the Spanish creator's movie spread across the net, everyone naturally wanted to check if it was as terrifying as others said. Just like with other productions, including "Squid Game" or "Gerald's Game" by Mike Flanagan, during which the more sensitive viewers fainted from fear, "The Platform" also shocked the subscribers.
The sequel to "The Platform" will be made
This success needs to be capitalized on. Work on the second part is already coming to an end. At this moment, little is known about the sequel. What is certain is that we will see Milena Smit ("Parallel Mothers") and Hovik Keuchkerian ("Money Heist") in the cast. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia will take the helm once again.
The official description is quite enigmatic. "The Platform 2" is an "exciting journey that allows one to get closer to the darkness, where looking is terrifying. It refers to the civic responsibility of the viewer and forces him to confront the limits of his solidarity". The release date is unknown.
