The Platform 2 (2024) - A Review (Spoilers)

Just watched "The Platform 2" and it blew by doors the hell off. There is so much depth to this movie. It explores so many aspects of the human condition and our political and interpersonal interactions. It even hits on religion and the idea that most people will reject the most meaningful ideas in favor of the affiliations. In it, someone looked on as a fool has the ultimate way of seeing reality, and is laughed at. It has a rating of 5.0/10 on IMDB at the time of this post. I gave it a perfect 10. I don't want to be judgmental of elitist, but I'm certain most people are not able to grasp all that is being said here, and can only see the dark violence in it.

At first it explores the idea that we can impose a punishment on ourselves voluntarily. The people going into "the pit" are there willingly to pay for crimes they got away with in the first place.

Next we see the idea that it's an experiment by the powers that control this dark world, just to see what happens.

The concept of the original movie was one of those on top feed all they want and don't care they are screwing over and even killing those below them. It also explores the idea that once day you could be at or near the top and find yourself in a vastly lower rank in society. It also shows the opposite can be true, and a person once of very low rank can one day be on the top. Those who make it to the top from the bottom then abandon those he was once part of for the pleasure of excess and the power of greed.

In the second movie there are a lot of things looked at. The first thing you see is "the law" that is in place to ensure everyone has a share and that no one goes hungry. If this is not in place those on the higher levels will take what they want and those below will literally eat garbage or starve to death. This is a strict brand of socialism with a strange twist of a pseudo religious nature. The giver of the law sacrificed himself for the others in the form of giving his literal flesh so they could survive.

The law is very strict and as more people start to become willing to take from others in order to satisfy their "freedom" and have pleasure, the law gets harsher to a point it's willing to kill incent people in order to get at and weaken the freedomites who are opposed to the law and only want pleasure. They starve them to weaken them and thus starve those below them in the pit who are even more weak to start with, thanks to the actions of those who want their pleasure.

The social minded law becames the hammer of authoritarian dictatorship. When those who want freedom at the expense of others are weak enough, the keepers of the so called law then literally attack in force and there is a battle - an analogy of revolution. In this instance there is almost nobody left in the end, thus showing that we will eventually kill ourselves off if we keep up going to war.

It shows that humanity is a violent animal and can't be trusted not to kill it's own kind, even it's own children. There is a story told by the main character of her art, a symbol of her pride, killing her child when she did not give boundaries, all in the name of personal glory.

It also shows that for most people there is no coming back from the prison of the self, when we choose to punish ourselves for our sins. It's a story, in part, of humanity trying for redemption only to fail, because we can't get past the reason we sinned in the first place.

In the end there is several examples of incense being punished by the keepers of this "pit" and seemingly, they are placed there knowing exactly what is going to happen and that there will be one left (always) to redeem, yet no others out of a great number will actually find this personal redemption. There is also the salvation of the innocent in order to redeem the guilty. Only by this means can the guilty find his or her path to a better future, free of self punishment. Only in self sacrifice, is there redemption.

The lowest level is beyond the pit of punishment, and may symbolize an after life or "the underworld" where good souls go when they die. This movie also shows that no matter how bad you are, there can be redemption in the end. It also shows that no matter how lofty you show yourself as, in the name of a religion or a political or social agenda, you may end up unable to be redeemed.

This movie is so far beyond that of the original, it's like a completely different movie in the format of a lesser story. That in it's self may be seen as an expression of growth of the human spirit and or mind - although, I doubt this is intentional, and I'm probably projecting it.

If you are one who thinks deep of the human struggle in all it's forms, this movie is a must see. I highly recommend it. Somehow I doubt it will ever find a place that it deserves in the history of cinema, and I think it will end up drifting into what most think of as mediocracy, when in reality it is profound. This is nothing new, most ideas that are of this power, are not seen by the masses as powerful, but meaningless.

Keep smiling and stay strong.

* Note, the word "freedomite" is a reference to Saskatchewan history in a way, although it has modern usage.