The Platform & Sadness

Friday Night Frightfest

Foreign, feel-bad horror anyone? For this episode we watched two foreign films sure to leave you feeling depressed to start off the new year: The Platform (2019) and Sadness (2021).

In The Platform by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, we encounter a vertical prison where a meager platform descends every level once a day. Survival hinges on resourcefulness and desperation. Goreng, a newbie, awakens on Level 48, forced to choose: eat well today and starve tomorrow, or wait for scraps and hope to rise higher next month. As he navigates the brutal hierarchy and uncovers the prison’s hidden mechanisms, Gorong must decide how far he’ll go to stay alive.

Sadness (2021) by Lee Kang-sheng explores a dystopian future where a deadly virus turns people into violent maniacs fueled by rage. A young woman immune to the disease navigates desolate Taipei. Alone and hunted, she must find food, shelter, and connection amidst the chaos, all while confronting the emotional toll of witnessing humanity’s descent into madness.

Both “The Platform” and “Sadness” offer thought-provoking and unsettling experiences, albeit in starkly different forms.

Spoilers start around 4:05.