The panna cotta is the message

The Platform is a Spanish film with a straightforward dystopian premise that conceals surprising layers of complexity. I watched the dubbed version, which worked well. The movie isn’t overtly "woke" but is brutally violent and disturbing. It won’t be to everyone’s taste—obviously.

The concept is simple yet effective: prisoners on each platform level can only eat the leftovers passed down from those above them. By the time the food slab reaches the lower levels, nothing edible is left, symbolizing unchecked greed within society. Obviously.

Is this prison a metaphor for capitalism or socialism? Although most IMDb reviewers seem convinced it critiques capitalism, the setting reflects a welfare system more than a capitalist one. No one in the prison works; food is provided by the "state". This is socialism, obviously.

The film raises the question of whether it’s possible to change such a system to allocate resources more equitably. Here, it starts to feel like the director might believe socialism could work if only people made sacrifices for the common good, while at the same time the events in the film serve as an admission that this is a naive hope. Capitalism, by contrast, allows individuals to act in their own interest while benefiting others. Obviously.

In the IMDb reviews, user "TheKing87" provides an excellent analysis of the film's symbolism and rules. Honestly, it bumped my rating from a 4 to a 5/5. Here is a link to this insightful review:

https://m.imdb.com/review/rw5620229/?ref_=tturv_perm_7

Perhaps the film’s true message is simply, “Think of the children.” After all, the brutalities of our dog-eat-dog world impact them too. It’s an intense movie with much food for thought, but viewer discretion is advised.

Obviously.