The Platform 2 (El Hoya 2) is a dystopian Spanish thriller set to release in 2024. It acts as a prequel to the internationally recognized film, The Platform, which came out in 2019. The director of the movie, Galder Gaztelu – Urrutia, deepens the existing lore of the vertical prison world, “The Pit,” by exploring the ideologies, rituals, and the sheer brutality surrounding it. Executing bold imagery and multi-layered narratives, this prequel interrogates the intertwining constructs of the system, its cruel rules, and how faith, violence, and fear perpetuate its unforgiving structure.
Plot Summary
Taking place some years before the events of the first film, The Platform 2 revolves around Perempuán, a young woman who enters The Pit after suffering a profound personal loss. She is paired at first with Zamiatin, a broad-minded yet jaded inmate who begins to teach her the moral codes of the structure. The Pit is an enormous vertical prison made up of hundreds of levels, each of which contains two inmates. Once each day, a single platform containing food rises and drops. Those on higher tiers receive ample rations, while those lower are given scraps—if anything at all. Inmates are randomly assigned to different levels each month, reinforcing the randomness and futility of the system.
Unlike the chaotic free-for-all of the first film, this prequel illustrates that a belief system dubbed The Law had developed among the inmates during the earlier periods. This moral code stipulated that inmates could only consume their allocated food item from the platform. This was upheld by a group known as The Anointed Ones who believed that they were spiritually mandated to uphold balance and order. Breaking the Law often attracted punishment of self mutilation or execution.
Within the course of traveling the upper and lower levels, Perempuán and Zamiatin come across several factions: The Barbarians, who reject The Law in favor an “eat-or-be-eaten” mentality, and The Loyalists, who still adhere to The Law. Perempuán comes to the painful realization that the Law is merely a psychological tool designed to quell rebellion and maintain passive compliance. She undergoes this transformation after Zamiatin sacrifices himself in yet another ritualistic act of self-immolation which leaves her untethered, unmoored, and questioning the core of the Pit’s existence.
In her search for truth—and to survive—she teams up with those who have come to reject the order: Plum, a fellow survivor with unyielding spirit, and Sahabat, a once fervent believer who, through disillusionment, turned rationalist. Together, they fan the flames of rebellion against The Anointed Ones, determined to unveil the theocratic hypocrisy of their faith.
The film’s final act shows us Perempuán descending to the lower levels where the Terror’s secret lies hidden beneath a mountain of filth and death. Long deemed empty or mythical, she reaches the fabled Level 333 which is the bottommost tier. There, she discovers a child who is alive, delicate, and appears untouched by the system’s insanity. In a more dreamlike portion of the film, Perempuán imagines standing next to Goreng, the protagonist from the original movie. This imagery further cements the film as a prequel while also intertwining both of their fates as martyrs and messengers in a system that consumes itself.
Characters and Performances
Perempuán (Milena Smit): A haunting and emotionally resonant lead performance. She embodies vulnerability, strength, and quiet rage in a character who transforms from a follower into a revolutionary.
Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian): A layered and tragic figure, serving as both mentor and warning. His eventual demise serves as a turning point in the narrative.
Plum (character portrayed with sharp intensity): A defector from the religious order who becomes crucial in Perempuán’s rebellion.
Sahabat (Natalia Tena): Adds depth and emotional texture, portraying a believer who is also a survivor.
Dagin Babi (Óscar Jaenada): Leader of the Anointed Ones. A chilling figure of fanaticism, he exemplifies the perils of ideology and zealotry.
Goreng (Iván Massagué): Briefly appears in a symbolic and metaphysical role that connects the two films.
Themes and Symbolism
- Religion and Control
The introduction of ‘The Law’ and its blind enforcers serves as an allegory for religious dogma employed to control the masses. The Law masquerades as a source of cruelty that attempts to provide order while suppressing free thought. This mirrors real-world systems where faith is wielded as a means of oppression rather than as a means of freedom.
- Institutionalized Inequality
Where the first film critiqued capitalism and the distribution of wealth, the second critiques hierarchical systems of belief. Even those who think they espouse equitable ideals are causing harm. Once again, the vertical structure serves as a metaphor, this time for systems based on moral superiority.
- Transformation Through Suffering
Perempuán’s journey is raw and visceral. Her metamorphosis from obedience to insurrection is fought for with blood and fire. With each level of the Pit she descends, layers of illusion are stripped away until she reaches a point of stark clarity about the Pit and her purpose within its depths.
- Rebellion vs Reform
The revolt governed by Perempuán seems to focus on fact-finding rather than emancipation. Her defiance does not give rise to any constructive order; rather, it is born out of sheer defiance. Her efforts do not shatter the existing structures, rather, they plant ideas that may culminate in the future.
Visual Style and Direction
“Pit” is a 2023 film, and, like in previous works, director Gaztelu-Urrutia Galder employs cold and sterile imagery. The industrial stagnation of The Pit starkly captures the concrete and minimalist landscapes of the area. Vertical and dehumanizing shots of the characters further accentuate their imprisonment.
Character moral and psychological decline is further emphasized through lighting. The upper levels are brightly lit, while the lower levels, cloistered in darkness, shrouded in despair. The use of coloring such as red and gold is unsettling and evokes a twisted Anointed motif.
Reception and Legacy
Reception to The Platform 2 has been mixed. Viewers who engage with the movie note its thoughtful take into the lore and religious symbolism, while others criticize it for lack of emotional depth and tight structure that characterized the first movie. Some critics point the movie’s symbolism as heavy handed, calling the pacing uneven.
The film nevertheless has ignited discussions on authoritarianism, abuse of faith, and the human ability to rationalize suffering. For the fans of the first movie, it offers enticing context and poses existential questions on agency, indoctrination, and the concept of justice.
In conclusion,
Following the mythological expansion of its predecessor, The Platform 2 is visually intense and philosophically deep. Although it is not as emotionally resonant or narratively tight as its predecessor, it presents an insightful examination of the evolution of control mechanisms within societies and the paradigms of subjugated individuals caught within them—their paths to either succumb or resist.
The second installment of The Platform offers unsettling imagery underlined by grim aesthetic and bleak worldview, ultimately daring the viewer to explore the darkest recesses of human instinct framed between dystopian metaphors, arguably one of the most distinctive ones seen in recent dystopian cinema.
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