Milena Smit – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: Do you remember the last time a platform was lowered in the castle?

Vampire Bat: I am sure that we have different kinds of platform here.

Vampire Owl: Like a platform to display the skills?

Vampire Bat: All vampires have the same special skills.

Vampire Owl: There are no two vampires belonging to the same species.

Vampire Bat: One a vampire, always the same species.

Vampire Owl: The undead is not a species, for it is a status.

Vampire Bat: We are beyond all status in all territories.

Vampire Owl: There is something more running underneath.

Vampire Bat: You are listening too much to the blasphemy by Mr. Frankenstein.

[Gets a kadai chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: In the first movie, it was seen that a number of inmates are housed in pairs on different numbered levels of a very massive tower-like structure without doors which seems to have no beginning and the end. It was also seen that a platform filled with food descends once per day from the top to the bottom, stopping for a very short time on each level’s cell. Each floor had two occupants with a central hole for the platform to pass. The top floors used to get a lot of food while the lower floors got nothing – nobody was allowed to hoard the food either. A young woman named Perempuan (Milena Smit) and and a big man called by the name Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian) find themselves in the same floor as partners in the food which is to come from above in the structure which is known to have 333 floors. The reach level 24 this time, which means that they can have some food now, until a change occurs. Next month, they could end up having more, or most probably much less food going nowhere.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: This vertical prison would need more than just a random plan to survive. The two new members are introduced to the informal rules of the prison – they should join the loyalists who follow the rules, and only eat what they had chosen as the favourite food before entering the prison. This would ensure that the maximum levels of people can get the food and nobody would die. They call those people who are against these rules as barbarians because they eat as much as they want, leading to food shortages due to the platform not being bigger than a usual dining table. As the new entrants try to keep the law as much as possible, they gather more information like on the existence of The Messiah, a mythical figure that could survive without food and then sacrificed his own leg to feed others who were going to die by starvation. His followers known as the Anointed Ones, keep the loyalist laws alive and punish those who violate these rules after appearing all of a sudden without invitation.

And what more is there to surprise us? :: Zamiatin who understands that he had broken the laws and will be punished along with his cell partner, sets himself on fire and jumps into the pit to death. This saves Perempuán from the possible punishment, and the very next month, she is paired with a one-armed woman named Sahabat (Natalia Tena) on level 51. She talks to Perempuán about Dagin Babi (Óscar Jaenada) who is the Anointed One that punishes everyone who makes even the smallest deviations from the law. She shares the story of how her arm was cut off and the girl who was her partner was stripped naked and tied to the platform in a spreadeagle position after removing all the food, to be eaten alive by the people of lower levels. She hopes to end this fearful existence by faking their deaths by consuming portions of an oil painting at the lower level, which would also make them immune to the gas which knocks out all prisoners. But can she succeed or will both of them face similar fates as their predecessors who did not obey the rules?

The defence of The Platform 2 :: The two big performers lead the way, Milena Smit and Natalia Tena, and the former making an impact in the least amount of time. Hovik Keuchkerian also leaves a mark in the process. The movie successfully becomes a reflection of our society where some people get them all and succeed through selfish ways, while the selfless remain without success. Selfishness and dehumanization are natural in the movie, just as reflected in human world. The world is once again nicely detailed, and so is the brutality, and if it was not shown well enough, the same would have been lost in the process. The movie does not take a step back in most of those cases, as the world begins to feel real despite the fictionality in which it is placed. This makes the film the perfect survival movie. There has never been a movie that has better shown so many selfish humans in one place, with all the terrifying sides present.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels like a repetition of the first movie, and struggles to bring that innovation which has kept this franchise apart. This time, some part of an explanation could have been shown about this particular vertical prison and how it has existed and the reason for its inception along with who controls the same like a lab. The movie leaves one with no hope, as the world seems to continue in the same way, with no hope for redemption to the inmates. Even though one feels so many genres within this movie, there seems to be the lack of satisfaction with most of them. The movie could have also developed the character of Natalia better, and a certain flashback could have been shown to further spread the uneasy fear. All the violence in the movie may not be suitable for everyone, but nobody can doubt its requirement within the film – considering the background tale, the gore cannot be considered as that much.

How it finishes :: I have liked The Platform 2 as much as I liked The Platform. There was the feeling of innovation with the first movie, and with version, the feeling of terror seems to be elevated with the presence of even more cruelty and hopelessness even without bringing more innovation. The reality of the present world is more or less reflected yet again, as the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. It is that kind of a world which was shown in the Malayalam film Mukundan Unni Associates long ago, as those who find themselves in control and with success here are those who manipulate the system, ruthlessly exploit others’ misfortunes and find no morality in actions. The truth about humanity and their hoarding of wealth remains the same, and it would never change. The movie symbolically points to the same many times, and we are not tired of watching any number of movies with platforms of food.

Release date: 4th October 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 101 minutes
Directed by: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Starring: Hovik Keuchkerian, Milena Smit, Natalia Tena, Óscar Jaenada, Iván Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: Do you know that Spain has become my dream country again?

Vampire Bat: I thought that you were going to Romania.

Vampire Owl: All vampires are supposed to have some interest in Romania.

Vampire Bat: Does that lead to an interest in Spanish movies?

Vampire Owl: I don’t see why it shouldn’t.

Vampire Bat: Well, we already have some interesting Spanish favourites.

Vampire Owl: This seems to be the more critically appreciated type.

Vampire Bat: That doesn’t guarantee that this could be your type of a movie.

Vampire Owl: There is no my type of movie unless I make one.

Vampire Bat: Well, vampires don’t make movies, but do watch them.

[Gets a pineapple cake and three glasses of orange shake].

What is the movie about? :: Daniel (Mario Casas) is a shy and good-mannered man who is working at a travel agency in Barcelona. He is very much interested in his job, and loves his family consisting of his father and sister. After their father dies, Dani’s sister Laura (Elisabeth Larena) arranges a trip around the world for him from his own company, as he was the one who was taking care of their father, and might be missing the presence of their bed-ridden father. He is not really fond of the trip though, and he is not interested in changing his lifestyle either. He hopes that he can cancel the trip because there is a two week window, and therefore he just accepts the idea. It is then that he comes across a girl at a restaurant and cafe where he often spends time over a burger, and meeting this girl, Milagros (Milena Smit) changes how things would go about in his life from then. She borrows a small amount from him, and is not happy because she really wants to give it back to him.

So, what happens with the events here as some twist is coming up? :: She keeps asking him to come with her for the money despite him not wishing for it to be returned. They take a walk through the street to the place where she works. Finally, as she is a tattoo artist, decides to give him a tattoo instead. He is reluctant again, but finally decides to go for one due to her consistent persuasion. He becomes interested in her, and therefore, he continues to follow her when she asks for his company. But as he goes to her apartment, her interest in him stays only for a few minutes. Soon, things take a twist, and things are not as what he had thought they were. He would commit a murder due to the circumstances, and soon people would be after him, and it won’t be about just police looking for the murderer. These are not the circumstances which he thought he would have to go through at any point of his straightforward life, but he would have to work through it. Now his life has changed, but unlike what his sister thought, it is not for the best.

The defence of Cross the Line :: The film has managed thing nicely with less resources, and it something which we can appreciate. We can also see the beautiful colours on the screen as well as the spaces which also have that beauty about it. There is some nice music being used here, and the sound effects are really good. The film also serves as a morality tale in disguise, as it talks about what can happen when one crosses the line, hence the title being justified here. There is the side effects of what can happen when one immediately begins to trust someone, especially someone beautiful – you should always have limitations in a world like this, where things are not the same as what seem from outside. The situation of such a person is shown perfectly, without the addition of melodrama or extraordinary elements, and a change coming upon him is also visible. All these happen very quickly, and lasting only about three hours, there is no time being wasted here. It is a continuous busy ride from the beginning, even though the elements of thriller come up later only, and we stay close to the protagonist.

Positives and negatives :: Cross the Line, originally known as No Mataras, is no usual thriller, as it goes on from a drama to thriller half way, more or less like Drishyam and its remakes which changed the mood at the centre stage. So, there is that certain diversion, and some people might have wanted the mood in the beginning to continue, and others might have wanted a full thriller, but this one depends on that twist of events to make things happen. It also has no character development of others as it is completely focusing on the protagonist all the time, giving no importance to others except for in moments. It also ends too soon, and the ending could have had a certain amount of extraordinary, as this film is not something which is not scared of taking the risks. Along with that, Barcelona is among the top ten cities which I want to visit in my life, and in Western Europe, it is the first place which I wish to travel to, and I would hope that the same could be achieved some day, but after COVID-19 pandemic, you never know where you will end up.

Performers of the soul :: The performance from Mario Casas won him the Best Actor Award at the Goya Awards, Spain’s prestigious national annual film awards, and it is no surprise when we watch the film. The performance is realistic, and as far as performances from actors in foreign films are concerned, I would consider his work to be among the best, and something which should have all that appreciation. I had also loved his performance in Adios which released earlier. Along with the same, Milena Smit was also nominated for Best New Actress Award, coming very close to winning that one – when we look at her work here, even though not lasting throughout the film, is really good. She excels with her emotions, and I would love to see more of her in other movies, maybe in Hollywood too. The situations without money and clothes would seem to make her vulnerable, but it can be seen that her character dictates things even when it doesn’t seem so – a character at the strongest when dumped in a relationship, or when fully naked. Fernando Valdivielso was also nominated for Best New Actor there, and he had some good short time in the film too. Elisabeth Larena is a strong name in the film too, and in a film which is dominated by the main actor, she has her moments.

How it finishes :: The movie focuses on one character, and it has two others who are there for enough time to call them as providing support, and with these itself, the film manages to do very well. Serving as a message to what could happen if you cross the line, and also showing how much it can change a person, the film does the same very effectively. The thrilling moments of the film are supported really well by the music that runs in the background. The tension-filled atmosphere being nicely built, this is the kind of film that stays with you for the experience. With seemingly lesser budget and minimal characters, what the film has managed needs to be appreciated. One can be sure that there are many things that can be learnt from this particular film, and this one with its ending seems to taunt us to ask for a possible sequel too. Well, with films like these, it is only fair to hope for more, as it was short and we would have wished for it to go on for more.

Release date: 16th October 2020
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: David Victori
Starring: Mario Casas, Milena Smit, Elisabeth Larena, Javier Mula, Fernando Valdivielso, Aysha Daraaui, Javier Mula