The 2024 Spanish dystopian sci-fi film The Platform 2 intentionally leaves audiences grappling with unanswered questions, yet many subtle details scattered throughout the Netflix original could have offered more concrete insights.
Following a sequence showcasing the various dietary choices of prisoners in the pit, the film transitions to illustrate how someone from higher levels indulges in Zamiatin’s pizza.
Zamiatin is drawn to the idea of enjoying another person’s food, but those above him advocate for solidarity and urge him to refrain from overindulging to ensure equitable distribution.
The film’s intense conclusion raises unsettling questions about morality and sacrifice (Photo: The Platform 2/Basque Films)This initial sequence lays the groundwork for the film’s conflict, emphasizing the division among characters in the pit, portrayed by the cast of The Platform 2: the loyalists and the barbarians.
The loyalists advocate for solidarity and minimal consumption, whereas the barbarians prioritize self-preservation, feasting as they see fit.
Initially, Zamiatin’s cellmate, Perepuan, supports the loyalists’ viewpoint, but the harsh realities of life in the pit compel her to change allegiances. Upon reaching some of the prison’s lowest levels, she uncovers answers she did not know she needed.
What Letting The Child Ascend Means For Perempuan In The Platform 2’s Ending
In the climactic conclusion of The Platform 2, a brutal conflict erupts between loyalists and barbarians, resulting in few survivors. Seizing a moment of desperation, Perempuan obstructs her airway by swallowing a fragment of The Dog painting.
This action leads to her choking and collapsing, effectively preventing her from inhaling the gas used by the pit’s cleaners to eliminate the remaining prisoners. Everything aligns with her plan as she regains consciousness to find herself attached to the harness collecting deceased bodies.
However, she is taken aback when she descends to Level 333 alongside the corpses, witnessing the cleaners bringing a child to the bottommost level and tucking him in.
Faced with a critical decision, she must choose between acting in her own interest and escaping to the pit’s surface or risking everything to shield the child from the prison’s horrors.
Reflecting on her past misdeeds, she resolves to protect the child instead. In the process of saving him, she strikes her head, hinting that, akin to Goreng’s fate in The Platform’s conclusion, she too faces a certain death.
Her conscious decision to safeguard the child rather than inflict harm leads the platform to descend below Level 333, reaching a level that symbolically represents Perempuan’s conscience.
Here, she encounters other souls, including Zamiatin, who are manifestations of her dying mind, urging her to allow the child to ascend. They recognize that while Perempuan has redeemed herself, her circumstances have tainted her, making her unfit for return.
Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia confirmed in an interview (via Digital Spy) that the lowest level is a mere illusion: “Goreng is dead before he arrives, and that’s just his interpretation of what he needs to do.”
The child, however, is permitted to ascend due to his innocence and purity, which are vital for improving the world. By allowing the child to rise while remaining behind, Perempuan sacrifices herself to liberate her from guilt and escape her self-imposed purgatory. Simultaneously, she embraces her suffering, understanding that redemption entails a price.
The Platform 2’s Mid-Credits Scene Explained
The mid-credits scene of The Platform 2 depicts numerous prisoners descending to the pit’s depths with various children.
This moment emphasizes that while many endure suffering in the vertical prison, some redeem themselves by saving the children at Level 333. It also suggests that the Authority above introduces a new child at Level 333 every month.
This scene could imply that the Authority has established numerous similar vertical prisons worldwide, each subjected to ongoing cycles of the same social experiments.
In an interview (via Collider), director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia affirmed this notion, stating, “Many and in many different ways,” when asked if other similar facilities exist.
Why The Administration Puts Children At Level 333
The Administration’s intentions behind the social experiment in the pit remain ambiguous, suggesting a lack of interest in fostering solidarity among prisoners.
Instead, they seem focused on observing what motivates prisoners to behave in a unified manner. Essentially, the prisoners function as lab rats, serving the Administration’s quest to comprehend human behavior, likely for future implementation in society to exert control. As evidenced in The Platform 2’s conclusion, the children also become pawns in this experiment.
The Authority’s indifference towards the children’s safety underscores their willingness to manipulate the masses ruthlessly. While the prisoners remain oblivious to how the child arrived at Level 333, they feel hopeful about sending the child to the surface.
However, given the Authority’s disregard for the children’s wellbeing within such a perilous environment solely for experimental purposes, it appears they lack concern for whether the children survive.
Why Perempuan Came To The Pit
Perempuan’s flashback interview before her arrival at the pit reveals her past as a talented artist. She once crafted a sculpture of a dog with sharp edges, disregarding warnings to secure it with stanchions due to its potential danger.
One day, her boyfriend’s son slipped and fell against the jagged sculpture. Rather than owning up to her mistake, Perempuan opted to hire top-tier lawyers, successfully avoiding prison time.
Similar philosophical sci-fi themes can be found in several other cinematic works, echoing this film’s exploration of guilt and redemption.
Despite selling the sculpture for a significant sum to enhance her career, the weight of guilt eventually overwhelmed her. Although she evaded legal repercussions, she felt undeserving of freedom.
Consequently, she chose to confine herself in the pit, seeking forgiveness for her actions. In the end, she achieves this by sacrificing herself to ensure the child from Level 333 remains safe and reaches Level 0.
Why Zamiatin Jumped To The Bottom Of The Pit
Despite Zamiatin’s attempts to present himself as a powerful figure within the pit, flashbacks reveal the truth of his past during an interview with the Authority. He falsely claims to have abandoned his children and set his parents’ home ablaze.
However, the truth unfolds: his wife and children left him before his parents sent him to the pit for punishment. After enduring weeks without food, Zamiatin’s fabricated persona crumbles, compelling him to confront the harsh realities of his life instead of continuing to fabricate comforting illusions.
The pit in The Platform films consists of 333 levels, accommodating two individuals per level, totaling 666 people, a number linked to the “number of the beast” in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 13:18). The number 333 may also reference Dante’s Inferno’s Third Circle of Hell, where gluttons are punished.
In the pit, the absence of sustenance serves as a metaphor for Zamiatin’s unfulfilled life, as he comes to terms with the lies he perpetuated, even after entering the pit.
In his quest for redemption, he ultimately chooses to confront his reality one last time by leaping into the pit’s depths. His leap symbolizes a final repudiation of the fabrications he clung to throughout his existence, leading to a certain death.
The Symbolism Behind The Drowning Dog Painting Explained
The drowning dog painting showcased in the original Netflix sci-fi film originates from Spanish artist Francisco de Goya. Known as “The Dog” (Spanish: “El Perro”), it is often interpreted as a representation of humanity’s struggle against malevolent forces.
The symbolic descent to Level 333 forces characters to confront the ghosts of their pasts (Photo: The Platform 2/Basque Films)Within The Platform 2, the painting symbolizes Perempuan’s journey, where each challenge becomes more significant as she refuses to take responsibility for her past actions in the real world.
The Platform 2 Cast & Character Breakdown
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Milena Smit | Perempuan |
| Hovik Keuchkerian | Zamiatin |
| Natalia Tena | Perempuan’s Second Roommate |
| Óscar Jaenada | Dagin Babi |
| Ivan Massagué | Goreng |
| Antonia San Juan | Imoguiri |
| Zorion Eguileor | Tiramigasi |
| Tadashi Ito | Bárbaro 21 |
Through the act of swallowing the painting, she confronts her past actions, embracing the accompanying suffering. This moment leads to a certain death that paves the way for redemption and self-forgiveness.
Nearly every character arrives in the pit seeking redemption or grappling with their shortcomings, transforming the setting into a reflection of the biblical Tower of Babel.
Similar to the Tower of Babel, which represents humanity’s futile attempts to reach God through superficial means, the pit serves as a manifestation of Perempuan and Zamiatin’s desperation to atone for their past failures.
Nevertheless, akin to the characters in the Tower of Babel narrative, the figures in The Platform 2 struggle to find solace as they pursue self-aggrandizement.
It is only through surrendering to their suffering and acknowledging their failings that Perempuan and Zamiatin embark on the path to redemption.
The Anointed One’s Law Explained
Dagin Babi, the Anointed One, enforces a law aimed at fostering solidarity among the pit’s inhabitants, and his followers adhere to it strictly.
Known as the Loyalists, Dagin Babi’s followers must consume only the meals they requested during their pre-entry interviews.
They maintain the top buttons of their shirts fastened and vigilantly ensure compliance among their neighboring cells. If an individual defies the law, the four prisoners directly above them bear the responsibility for administering justice.
Dagin Babi’s law creates a division within the pit:
The Loyalists
The Barbarians
