El Hoyo (The Platform) November 2019 review

 This 2019 dystopian film is again too modern to feature on IMDB's list of the top 1000 films of all time.

Goreng (Ivan Massague) wakes up one day to find himself in a tower-like holding facility. He and the other inmates are fed once a day via a floating platform that is covered in a banquet of food which stops at each level for a short period of time. The catch? The food isn't replenished between the levels meaning the that inmates above gorge while those below starve.

I think this film would fit perfectly within a new iteration of IMDB's famous list. It is obvious that its audiences love its experimental science-fiction films: you only need to look at entries like Brazil, Cube and Dark City. 

However, El Hoyo, or the Platform, as it is known to international audiences, succeeds where these other films fail is that it finds a way to balance its big ideas with its interesting characters. The theme of greed is the most obvious - if the prisoners only ate what they needed then there would be enough for everyone. Inevitably, that does not happen, as some people can go days or weeks without eating, before they're lucky enough to be randomly assigned to a higher level.

Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia also wanted to explore the theme of the distribution of wealth, as well as critiquing capitalism and socialism. Administrator Imoguiri (Antonia San Juan) aims to change the system from within by convincing everybody to only eat what they need and to leave rations for those below. yet her plans are foiled by the selfish desires of the other inmates.

Despite his initial cynicism, Goreng tries to help her achieve her ultimately futile goal. He later meets and helps other characters like Miharu (Alexandra Masangkay) who is looking for her lost child and Baharat (Emilio Buale) who is looking to escape. Every character is interesting, as they all have their own desires and goals.

Ivan Massingue was great as the everyman Goreng who follows a satisfactory hero's arc despite being stuck in a nightmarish reality. Despite being best-known for comedy, he was convincing in a more dramatic role.

Granted things become surreal in the ending, but this was still an intense if harrowing look into a dystopian world.