Many directors employ quirky tricks to reflect societal problems through their films. And one such film is Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s ‘The Platform‘, a Spanish fiction horror film. The film literally screams economic inequality and political philosophy in a subtle yet powerful manner. Although ‘The Platform‘ tries to send a political message, Gaztelu thinks it otherwise, as he noted “At the end of the day, the movie isn’t going to change the world, but it may change the viewer.”
The concept of ‘The Platform‘ is a sly, unique political allegory. It takes place in a vertical structure with hundreds of levels called The Hole. Each level consists of two people who entered The Hole at their own will. Every day a platform descends through a large hole in the middle of the building which stays for only a few minutes throughout the entire day. People on the first level have access to the food, but as the level descends all that is left are bones and glasses.
Read Also: Which Role Is Robert Downey Jr. Playing In ‘Oppenheimer’?
The Central Metaphor Of ‘The Platform’
‘The Platform‘ is eerie, disturbing, and gross, yet it keeps its hold on the audience. The central metaphor of the film is the capitalistic conundrum in which the modern world has entangled itself. It shows the horrors of the desperation of the human race and their ability to survive in this social experiment. ‘The Platform‘ portrays the harsh truth of the capitalized society starting with power. The Hole is designed in such a way that those at the top are unreachable and ungrateful and those below them are helpless. When Baharat from Level 6 uses his rope to climb up the nightmarish building, he is instantly rejected from above and pushed back onto his level. His plan relied on the kindness of strangers which is instantly shattered by the racist prisoners. His only hopes are now on the prisoners below him to cooperate and break the inhuman social chain.
Also, the panna cotta holds a powerful meaning of tyrannical structure when Baharat and Goreng decide to protect it as they descend to each floor requesting people to eat in portions. This way people at each level are entitled to food. Their plan was to deliver the message through the untouched panna cotta to communicate that the unfair structure has not broken the human spirit. However, their descent to the bottom was scarred by acts of violence and non-cooperation from their fellow prisoners. Eventually, they get tainted with their own mission and engage in cannibalism and murder. As he reaches level 333-the last level, Goreng finally meets the small girl.
In case you missed: “Now I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds”: The Story Behind Oppenheimer’s Infamous Quote
‘The Platform’ Ending: What Does The Small Girl Represent?
The film ends with the platform raising up with a small girl alone which can only mean either of two things – hope for a new beginning and purity. It is unclear how the child gets in since anyone under the age of 16 is not allowed in the facility. But the child remained alive on the last level with food that was almost next to nothing. So this raises a lot of open-ended questions. Miharu, the child’s mother successfully protected her and provided her child with food as she repeatedly descended on the plate, not to find her daughter but to deliver goods to the bottom floor.
Despite all when Goreng sees the child, she is harmless, healthy, and not traumatized which symbolically represents the human spirit – unbroken despite the dehumanizing influence of society (an institution in this case). A mother’s dedication and selflessness managed to keep the child alive in the cruel system of The Hole. However, injured Goreng does not ascend with the child as they initially planned. Instead, he gets off the platform and allows the child to raise above all by herself.
The most powerful scene of the film is left open to interpretation. Since the child represents purity and Goreng was corrupted by his time facility, he strives to witness a change in events or perhaps wishes for a pure human society. On a metaphorical level, the child represents the only hope humanity is left with.
Is There A Sequel?
On May 11, Netflix announced a sequel to the film and shared a series of first-look photos on Twitter with the caption that read, “The Story is far from over”. Although there are no other details pertaining to the title or plotline. All it was revealed through the poster was Hovik Keuchkerian and Milena Smit are in the “pit”.
During the 2020 interview with the Digital Spy, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia revealed that ‘The Platform‘ initially had a different ending. He said, “We actually did film a different ending of the girl arriving at the first level, but we took it out of the movie. I’ll leave what happens to your imagination.” Gaztelu also teased the audience, revealing that all end might have just been in dying Goreng’s mind. He further added, “To me, that lowest level doesn’t exist. Goreng is dead before he arrives, and that’s just his interpretation of what he felt he had to do. Ultimately, I wanted it to be open to interpretation, whether the plan worked and the higher-ups even care about the people in the pit.”
You would also like to read: Is ‘Oppenheimer’ Based On A Book?
