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- The Social Commentary of The Platform
- The Violence of Netflix’s The Platform
- What the Horror Genre Can Learn From The Platform Franchise
As a seasoned horror enthusiast with over three decades of chilling encounters under my belt, I must say that The Platform has left a profound impact on me. Having witnessed countless tales of terror and supernatural phenomena, I can confidently assert that this Spanish masterpiece is a unique beast in the genre.
The unique talents of the horror genre truly shine when executed skillfully. Among these chilling stories lies a horror film with a keen focus on social critique, capable of striking an audience as deeply as a murderer brandishing a knife. Hidden away in a corner, yet undervalued, Netflix’s The Platform is a gem worth discovering. Despite its complex concept, it offers profound insights about class and famine, all served up in an appealing and tasty format. On the surface, The Platform may seem straightforward in its metaphors of human survival struggles, but its effectiveness in creating its world is what makes it so effective.
The thematic commentary within “The Platform” functions like a heavy burden on its narrative, consistently pulling it away from its intended direction. Instead of a traditional hero, the protagonist in this film serves as a carrier for the corrupt social system, pushing horror cinema towards more thought-provoking and socially relevant territory. Buried within the confines of its prison setting, “The Platform” has much to express, with some messages blatantly clear and others subtly conveyed through imaginative and impactful storytelling.
Horror’s many forms make it the ideal style to hold up a mirror to an audience, distilling various themes of social unrest into a melting pot of tension and pathos. The Platform packs a lot onto its dinner table and tempts its audiences with a desire for freedom in a world where the menu only serves a punishing order. What makes The Platform so compelling? How does it execute its social messages? How does it advance the horror genre? Here’s what you need to know.
The Social Commentary of The Platform
The Platform seems ironic in its rigid environment, creating a disturbingly accurate depiction of the shortcomings within a hierarchical system, marked by economic disparities and unmanageable turmoil among its denizens. The Platform exhibits an unsettling sense of reality through its portrayal of human concepts like power and avarice, pushing its characters to the brink of mental breakdown.
In “The Platform,” fortune, rather than violence, holds significant value and unpredictable consequences; it’s luck that both elevates and degrades prisoners in an instant. The uncertain fate of one’s tier assignment gives a bitter twist to conventional portrayals of the privileged feasting lavishly. The prisoners ravenously fight over the food, disfiguring it until it appears diseased, a grotesque image that horror films often employ.
Social commentary doesn’t necessarily have to be layered in ambiguity to have an impact. The Platform is a relatively simple parable, but its simplicity isn’t a bad thing. Nobody is better or more redeemable than the other, so everyone is driving the system even though they might not want to. They have no choice. The cyclical nature of The Platform is perfectly suited to horror and dystopia, with a desperate assumption that there has to be more to it, even though there isn’t.
Horror has long weaponized our greatest fears, and The Platform adds its dystopic spin to a reality that feels disgustingly realistic. The Platform campaigns for equality of resources but deliberately cannot escape its confinement. That’s the heartbreaking truth that The Platform tempts its audience to challenge despite its futility.
The Violence of Netflix’s The Platform
In various genres, raw terror can be effectively portrayed. For instance, the brutal violence in The Platform creates an intensely frightening atmosphere. Since whatever transpires on your level gets reset, any effort to escape becomes futile. This lack of order within the system itself implies that stability is fleeting and chaos is constant. The violence in this scenario exists in a gray area where individuals will do anything to survive without discrimination. This form of horror violence is strikingly vivid, making The Platform a harrowing experience.
In the heat of conflict, knowing it’s justified only deepens the gloom. The movie “The Platform” doesn’t shy away from portraying our baser instincts without passing judgment. Instead, it mirrors how we behave when pushed to survive – ambivalent in its depiction of violence. Unlike many horror films that take control from the viewer, “The Platform” empowers its prisoners enough to make them accountable for their own acts of violence.
What the Horror Genre Can Learn From The Platform Franchise
The rejuvenation of the horror genre, particularly by studios like A24, has infused a fresh social perspective into a genre long dedicated to unsettling viewers. Unlike films such as “I Saw the TV Glow,” “The Platform” doesn’t rely on an exaggerated directorial style. Instead, it maintains its poignant social commentary without attempting change, emphasizing that human behavior must evolve due to inevitable circumstances. This harsh expectation is what gives “The Platform” its brutal and tragic essence. Modern horror is increasingly attuned to audience expectations and finds great joy in defying them.
A key lesson that other genres might glean from “The Platform” is its skillful manipulation of audience anticipations to paint an unrelentingly pessimistic picture of humanity. Unlike many contemporary horror films, which shun traditional happy endings, “The Platform” employs a seemingly optimistic conclusion to underscore the persistent violence inherent in its narrative. The most chilling aspect of this film, however, lies not in the violence itself but in the absence of any meaningful change or resolution – a dystopian scenario that is eerily familiar yet cruelly vindictive in its reasoning.
Movies such as “Hereditary” or “Talk to Me” create a chilling effect due to the gradual shift from ordinary to extraordinary. In contrast, “The Platform” is perpetually abnormal, with the sinking food table revealing that it’s the prisoners who hold the power to sustain those beneath them. However, they choose to focus on their own survival instead, demonstrating a self-centered nature that seems to be inherent. And maybe this selfishness will always persist. By the way, “The Platform” and “The Platform 2” are currently streaming on Netflix.
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2024-10-11 06:01