THE PLATFORM; CRITICAL READING
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Review And Brıef Summary Of The Film:
The Platform film is a Spanish thriller film directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. It was produced for the Netflix platform, the popular Film and Series viewing platform. In the Platform film, the boundaries and number of events are unclear, passing on a vertical platform. Only two people can live on each floor of the platform, which is also the venue for the film. There is only one venue in the film; it’s a vertical prison. The protagonist in a multi-story prison that is used as a venue tries to find the secret of the place and the solution to the desperation of people who need help, based on what he has experienced. The Film focuses on the injustices and class distinctions experienced. Dishes produced by a sensitive Cook and his team are given first to those on the top side(on the floor), after a certain period of time, the rest of the food eaten goes downstairs. In the meantime, according to the conditions, those on the floors resembling prison wards move to the lower or upper floors ; however, control is not in their hands.
Criticism Within Framework Of “İdeological İnterpellation”:
Popular culture refers to all life flowing in its entirety around us. Of course, this life creates an ideological plane. From here, the concept of ” Ideological Interpellation “ can mean calling a person by reminding him of his categorical duty, which has been pre-thought, assumed / imposed by the ideological structure. Here, it is necessary to focus on how films analyze reality as an impression of cinematic reality. It is a concept that Althusser developed to analyze the relationship between ideology and the formation of subjectivity based on the concept of ideology and “ideological devices of the state”. It is a concept that describes the process of populist/popular ideologies to bring together different social classes or members of the same class on the same political plane. According to Althusser, individuals take action according to the ‘call-naming, call-calling’ of the ideology and become the subject as a result of this process. It is up to the ideology and its devices that create the subjectivity of the individual. Althusser did not accept that the” real object “and the” object of knowledge “ were the same, admitting that the object of knowledge (ideology) created the subjective object. In this case, the cinema will be likened to a platonic/panoptic cave. In cinema or similar cultural production, fiction runs through subjective reality. Starting from here, returning to the movie The Platform, although the film seems to make a notorious system critique, it only makes it feel at the venue. Considering that the movie calls out to individuals to “turn them into subjects”, we can say that the main message of the movie is going through religion (Christianity). They owe their existence to the rules of an ideological device (platform) at the last time on how to act on which floor. What this prison describes; they accepted rites and regulated practices in advance and they were included in the system with an interview. Even if they come to the prison of their own free will, they experience practices they cannot resist or change. The protagonists of the film are faced with an order that leaves no room for nihilism, committed by “naturally” or “spontaneously” ideology. After all, “human is, by his nature, an ideological animal “ . The platform which operates with the cruel rules is similar to the human nature and the” logos “that are lived and acted in St. Paul. With its existing dominant structures and appearances, Christianity and capitalism as a religious ideology are its inevitability are emphasized instead of being criticized. At the end of the movie, the platform almost disappears in the dark, and only the child and light appear. With this final scene, the message in the film is transformed into a metaphysical state. Child; It has been subjected to the dominant family ideologies from the moment of its birth to the womb. The child that appeared at the end of the film was found to be found, but started to rise on the platform as another ideology creation. Because ideological determination has no history. Our hero, who defied the ruling order on the platform, must again continue this defiance with blood and cruelty. The presence of the child is a representation of the ascension of Jesus to the heavens for Christianity. In summary, the reflections of “humanism”, a bourgeois ideology, are observed in the film. Human nature and religion determine the establishment of all notions of equality and Justice evoking morality and virtue. The concepts such as “human potential” and “human nature”, even put forward by Marxists, lead us to total acceptance. Neither those below nor those above can hear us.
Criticism Within The Framework Of “Culture Industry”:
The cultural industry is one of the specific concepts of the Frankfurt School, which adopts a critical Marxist approach. The dual upper/lower structure distinctions in classical Marxism disappear within this framework. T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer, as the upper narrative, the determinism of Modernity, and its determinations on the individual and culture are expressed with this concept. Since the main goal of enlightenment is to purify people from fear and bring it to its master position, it is obvious that the concept of enlightenment in modern times when it came or not. Cultural Industry analysis tries to uncover it as a hidden system of chaotic liberal social reality, where all cultural/artistic activities take place. The Culture Industry shows the importance of the hidden, traumatic essence of society in its ability to reproduce itself essentially. In short, it arises from the hegemonic dominance of the general/widespread over the particular/rare. The dependence and enslavement of human beings appear as the destructive effect of the culture industry. Contrary to expectations, the main effect of the culture industry manifests itself in anti-enlightenment. İncreasing the technical sovereignty of people on nature is becoming deceiving people. The technique turns into a method of chaining human consciousness. There can be no guide to the affirmative art that the cultural industry fabricates against people. It cannot be the guide of an affirmative art created by the culture industry against people. The culture industry is simply advising people not to cross boundaries set by circles of interest. The ideology of the culture industry is so strong that individual consciousness has been replaced by “ obey and find salvation”.
In a world(platform) that seems/is said to be in chaos, even giving people the measure of positioning shows the power of the cultural industry. The rumors that the protagonist in the role of the Messiah wanted to make it a reality will turn into information and enlightenment and enlightenment will turn into mythology at the end of the movie. In short, the culture industry is effective not on/outside the individual but on the inside. Here it is necessary to think of the concept of the industry as standardization in the production of works of art rather than in its primary meaning. It makes sense that the platform concept used to define the Netflix movie viewing platform, which has more subscriber populations than most countries, is the same as the film that is being analyzed at the same time. The meaning of existence on Netflix as a fake riot production tool, means to show that it resembles said power or order.
As the culture industry strengthens its position, it becomes able to do whatever it wants with consumer requirements. For example, nature, and green pumped up by the means of society’s sovereignty appliances are drawn into society and sold at an exorbitant price.
In fact, the magnificent images of nature, green, blue, and sky are images of factory chimneys. It is transformed into an ideology to hide exploitation, and formal freedom for all is guaranteed. Its apparent freedom is a product of the economic and social apparatuses of society. The public’s impersonation of film and magazine stars (fake heroes) stems from their motivation to destroy the individuality within. This is the end of some kind of individuality. There is no subject from itself, there is a subject created by the ideological platform. Bullying is at the very last point, even the bullying of opponents has to confirm the bullying of the ideological platform. Thus, the radically fragmented people of mass society are governed by an “incomprehensible imperative”. In summary, products produced through the culture industry (Netflix) demand that the individual absolutes the existing order and identifies with it. Both the global/digital accessible platform in which it takes place and the film makes the individual an individual but forced to identicalness with itself. The culture industry does not want the individual consuming it like an endless pit to tend to thought. On the contrary, it presents to him the ready interpretations of the world. Film and broadcast space (Netflix) is essentially always in favor of reproducing the status quo. Although it seems to give certain living spaces to the individual, it can be said that it is intrinsically opposed to individuality. Individuality in this form is a false individuality that is controlled by human nature in the film.
SOURCE :
1- Louis ALTHUSSER, “İdeoloji ve Devletin İdeolojik Aygıtları” İletişim Yayınları, 2002
2- Theodor W. ADORNO, “Kültür Endüstrisini Yeniden Düşünürken” “Cogito” Dergisi, Yaz -2003
3- Theodor W. ADORNO ve Max HORKHEİMER, “Aydınlanma Diyalektiği”, Çev: Nihat Ülner-Elif Öztarhan Karadoğan, İstanbul: Kabalcı, 2010
4- Roger BEHRENS, “Adorno Sözlüğü”, Versus Kitap, Ocak 2011
5- COGİTO, “Adorno: Kitle, Melankoli, Felsefe” Sayı: 36, Yaz 2003
6- Bülent DİKEN, Carsten B.LAUSTSEN, “Filmlerle Sosyoloji”, Metis, Mart 2011
7- https://t24.com.tr/yazarlar/yavuz-adugit/platform-seytani-komedya,26288
