Perhaps you have already seen this film and were impressed by what you saw. The idea of a vertical prison, in which the inhabitants of each floor are fed on a large table, but can only eat for two minutes, after which the table is raised higher, to another floor, allows the director to perfectly show the vices of modern society.
Because of its specificity, the prison gets its own name – “Pit”. The people here receive food once a day from a large round platform. Food is prepared on floor 0 and gradually descends. The lower the platform, the less food goes to people who are on the next floor.
At the beginning of the story, the main character, Goreng, is on the 48th floor. Every day, a table comes down to him and his cellmate, on which there are leftovers. But there is no choice – in 2 minutes this food will not be left if they do not have time to eat.
Later it turns out that Goreng entered into an agreement – six months of life in exchange for a certificate and the opportunity to quit smoking. But his cellmate, Trimagasi, ended up here after committing an unintentional murder. His term of imprisonment is one year.
Every month, the level at which the heroes are located changes. So they get from level 48 to level 171 and understand that the place they were previously in is better than their current position. The higher the level, the worse the nutritional situation. According to the administration, there are 200 levels in the tower, but the ending of the film shows that there are 333 of them.
The main symbolism of the film
The main symbol of the film is the table, on which every day there is food served to the prisoners of the prison. As planned by the creators of the tower, if people eat moderately, choosing only what they really need, they will have enough of all the food that is served on the table.
However, the practical implementation of the theory is at odds with the idea. People do not see the measure in what they eat, and as a result, only leftovers that people fight for come to the lower floors. The protagonist tries to fix the system and tries to convince everyone who is on the lower levels to eat what is prepared for them and prepare moderate portions for those who are even lower.
But this is only obtained after the protagonist threatens to desecrate the food. Unfortunately, this does not affect the top of the tower. Only there it is necessary to start changes that can affect the entire system. The hero does not realize this immediately. The girl, who, together with the main character, tried to change the prison system, dies. After her death, he shares a cell with Baharat and realizes that lifting up is not the way out of the situation. He realizes that he needs to work together with another prisoner, despite the fact that they often swear. They need to move on the platform down, and not use the rope. Going down, they force each level to take only its part of the food. In addition, they decide to keep one dish in its entirety, which will send a message to those who prepare the food. At level 333, they discover a lonely girl looking for Mihara. They are shocked by this, as the prison authorities said that there is no one in it who is under the age of 16.
The hidden meaning & ending explained of the film Platform
This girl shows that the prison administration needs to change something. At the end, the protagonist resigns himself to his fate and remains on the lower floor.
He will have to go to extreme methods to survive: he kills Trimigashi, after which he eats his flesh. He does the same with the body of Imoguri, who committed suicide. This allows him to hold out at the lower levels. He, along with Baharat, has to kill many people in order to enforce the rules of food rationing and the preservation of the message. At the end, he gives up his place on the platform and allows the lonely girl at level 333 to climb up.
These events show the essence of people – what they are ready to do in order to satisfy their own instincts. The film shows that it is easier to save everyone when all your own needs are met. The fact that the hero dies, sending the girl upstairs, shows him as the Messiah.
Another interpretation is that the poor will not cope with the rich, as they will devour themselves.
