The Platform 2 is a Spanish-language psychological drama film released in 2024 by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. In this film, he continues The Platform (2019) by The Platform’s psychological multiverse. It builds upon the haunting yet thought-provoking ideas of the original, this time offering viewers a prequel that explores the origins of The Pit.
Through new characters, the film explores deeper the socio-philosophical issues that were raised in the first movie. The Platform 2 is not limited to suspense. Something deeper like the human condition, fairness, and responsibility is offered in a closed symbolic space.
Setting and Concept
The story unfolds in a massive vertical structure. Within this structure, humans are stacked like goods on a vertical warehouse and fed through a platform that descends through each storey. The people on the higher levels are fed to satiation while those on the lower levels starve. This system symbolizes the real-world disparity and examines the impact of a system where input and output is unequally distributed.
A new rule has been enforced, allowing each resident to consume only the one dish they selected at the entry of the system. ‘The Law,’ as it is termed, aims to balance fairness while mitigating violence. Yet, it becomes apparent that enforcement and compliance issues arise as the narrative continues, prompting a consideration of how order and cooperation can be achieved and maintained in cooperative systems under duress.
Main Characters and Performances.
The film focuses on Milena Smit who plays the character Perempuán. Perempuán is an artist who ends up in the Pit, characterized by stillness and a sense of power. Much of the story hinges on her emotional complexity and enigmatic history. She is shown over the course of the film to be warm, kind, resourceful, and deeply introspective.
She lives with Zamiatin, played by Hovik Keuchkerian. Zamiatin is the more grounded, pragmatic counterpart to the philosophic Perempuán. He offers a balance to her views and as a result, they debate ethics, existence, and the innate need for justice that lives within all of humanity.
Alongside the main characters, the audience witnesses the extent of collaboration and defiance within a system that works against cooperation. The supporting cast also includes Sahabat, Dagin Babi, and other characters who represent various forms of life in the Pit. Some seek order, others chaos, and a few strive for balance.
Plot Summary (Without Spoilers)
While Perempuán is assimilating into the facility’s life, she begins to notice signs that something deeper is going on. The routine of the facility begins to reveal its secrets. The abrupt encounters with children prompt a revision to her previous goals, shifting to those who need aid and seeking to empower them to dismantle the system from the inside.
Perempuán’s sharp artistic instincts emerge throughout the film in her ways of thinking, and in her empathic and imaginative nature. The difficulties she encounters are more than physical, including moral and emotional dimensions as well. She grapples with issues like the merits of compliance, as well as the prospects for meaningful change in a system that is resolutely engineered to stifle it.
The film meticulously constructs the narrative towards the climax, which underscores the significance of sacrifice, courage, and legacy. Revealing the familiar elements that outlines the events of the first film, reframes and shifts perspective in meaningful ways.
Themes and Symbolism
As in the previous installment, The Platform 2 employs its setting and characters to delve into potent themes, including:
Inequality: The central metaphor of food descending reflects the disparity in access and opportunity, paralleling real-world systems of wealth and privilege.
Moral Responsibility: The film puts forth the idea that, in restrictive environments, individuals can still choose to show compassion instead of indifference.
Sacrifice and Hope: The narrative arc reveals characters who are willing to forgo their comfort for the well-being of others, which serves as the film’s central theme.
The film posits that, however overwhelming the system may be, the individual remains capable of making a difference, underscored by courage, empathy, and unwavering resolve.
The visuals in the film reinforce these ideas with a stark, minimalist style. The repetition of the environment adds to the pervasive sense of stagnation, while fleeting glimpses of beauty serve as a reminder of the goodness that can still exist in the darkest of situations.
Reception and Interpretation
Reception to The Platform 2 was split—some critics and viewers welcomed the film, while others disregarded it. Certain critics lauded the film for its attempt to evolve the initial story’s scope, focusing in particular on its emotional and social themes. The emotional depth and social commentary as well as the sincerity and strength of Milena Smit and Hovik Keuchkerian’s performances were well appreciated.
However, not everyone was as forgiving. Some viewers expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of accessibility due to a reliance on abstraction, while others were put off the film’s use of visuals alone to argue its points. Viewers in this camp expressed the desire for more definitive conclusions to the enigmas of the Pit or a more straightforward narrative.
Nonetheless, the film does manage to continue the dialogue initiated by the predecessor, and while it does not attempt to provide concrete answers, it poses powerful questions regarding justice, systems of order, and interpersonal conduct in the face of adversity.
Final Statement
The Platform 2 is a film that encourages one to think deeply. Although the film’s setting is imaginary, the feelings and conflicts experienced by its characters are profoundly universal. It challenges its audience to think of their roles in the society with regard to sharing, treating others, and the principles one is ready to defend.
Instead of following a traditional sequel structure, this one expands the original film’s narrative by exploring the history of the Pit and the reasoning behind its inhabitants, thus broadening debates surrounding equity, justice, and the ever-present human need for compassion in a complex world.
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