The Platform (2019)

Subtle as a dinner bell, The Platform is a movie about who gets to eat and who doesn’t, and it says so out loud, again and again, through characters who mostly exist to make a point. Still, the setup is so strong it barely matters: one concrete tower, one slab of food sinking floor by floor, and the people up top eating like nobody’s underneath. Zorion Eguileor steals the first half as Trimagasi, a cheerful old cellmate whose favorite word is ’obvious’ and whose manners get more unsettling by the day. Iván Massagué’s Goreng packed a book where his cellmate packed a weapon, and that choice tells you everything about him. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia shoots it so cleanly that the ideas hit harder than the shocks. The ending is cryptic enough to start arguments, brilliant or a cop-out, depending on who you watch it with. A 7.3 because the concept cuts deeper than the characters living inside it. $347 says the next time you’re last in line at a potluck, you give a speech about solidarity to an empty casserole dish.

What works: The concept is brilliant and instantly clear, Trimagasi is a creepy, funny scene-stealer, and the clean, cold look makes the tower feel real.

What doesn’t: The message is hammered home again and again, the characters are mostly symbols, and the cryptic ending will leave some viewers feeling shortchanged.

Who it’s for: Fans of high-concept horror and anyone who likes a movie that starts an argument at dinner.