The
Platform 2 (Original title: El hoyo 2) | 2024 | 1h 39m
Genre:
Dystopian Sci-Fi/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller | Country: Spain
Director:
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia | Writers: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Pedro Rivero, David
Desola
Cast:
Milena Smit, Hovik Keuchkerian, Natalia Tena
IMDB:
4.9
My
Rate: 7/10
Perempuan chooses to stay in the Vertical Self-Management Center to calm herself after the events that befell her, as do other participants who live there for various reasons. Everything runs smoothly before a dispute arises between the barbarians and the loyalists who act arbitrarily.
Warning:
Contains
scenes of violence, nudity, and strong language.
Synopsis:
Perempuan
(Milena Smit), an artist, decides to enter the Vertical Self-Management Center
with the aim of calming herself. She experiences an unpleasant event with her
boyfriend, whose child died during her exhibition. This makes Perempuan need
time to process everything. She hopes that by entering the institution, she can
think clearly.
Perempuan
is on the same level as Zamitian (Hovik Keuchkerian), which is level 24.
Zamitian is a large man who claims to be a professor. However, Zamitian has
problems managing his emotions, especially when he finds out his food is eaten
by people on the upper levels. This is because each inmate can only eat the
food they ordered when entering the institution.
One
day, a barbarian causes chaos that results in the death of people on level 23.
One of the survivors asks Perempuan and Zamitian to throw away the food that
should have been eaten by the dead people. However, Zamitian regrets this and
often eats it secretly.
A
month later, Perempuan and Zamitian wake up on a lower level. Zamitian’s
mistake is discovered by 'The Messiah,' Dagin Babi (Óscar Jaenada), who orders
the Loyalist group to find him. Zamitian chooses to commit suicide by burning
his body so Perempuan will not be affected by the problem.
Perempuan
then moves to level 51 with Sahabat. Sahabat has an unpleasant experience with
Dagin Babi that caused her to lose her hand. This makes Perempuan dissatisfied
with the presence of 'The Messiah' and tries to break the rules, which
eventually puts her in trouble.
Will
Perempuan be able to survive inside the institution?
Review:
The
Platform 2 is a prequel to The Platform (2019) that presents the story before
the events of the first film. This movie can be watched separately without
having to see the first film because it has a slightly different conflict.
However, to fully understand the ending, it is recommended to watch the first
film first.
This
film offers more intense and sadistic scenes than the first. While the first
film is more artistic and emotional, focusing on the emotional play of the
characters, especially Goreng, this one shows less emotional turmoil and more
fighting between characters.
The
story foundation is better built than in the first film. Viewers are given
backgrounds not only of the main character Perempuan but also several other
characters, strengthening the story’s foundation. Interactions among the
participants are more visible than in the first film. However, the big question
from the first film remains unanswered: the origin of the organization and how
people find out about it.
Additional
questions arise with scenes of children playing on a pyramid slide. There is no
clarity about who the children are, how they got there, or their purpose. This
remains a big unanswered question in the film.
Another
strength in building the story background is that the institution’s purpose is
clearer by showing somewhat reasonable rules, where participants can only eat
the food they ordered before entering. However, another question arises: who
made these rules? Although the character Dagin Babi appears as the leader, it
is not explained how he became the leader.
Conflicts
arise from various problems, especially dissatisfaction with how Dagin Babi
manages the place. Some rebellious ‘barbarian’ characters refuse to follow the
rules. Conflict intensifies after Perempuan sees the injustice done by Dagin
Babi, leading her to incite the Barbarians to rebel. The conflict development
is quite good and focuses differently than the first film.
The
resolution is somewhat unsatisfying. The philosophy from the first film becomes
a bit unclear when combined with this prequel. However, we see the character
development of Perempuan, who finally makes peace with her past. The appearance
of Trimagasi in this prequel serves as a bridge to the first film, where
Trimagasi is an important character in Goreng’s story. However, his meeting
with Goreng from the first film and the presence of the child on level 333
raise new questions.
At
the end of the story, it is shown that the organization deliberately places
children on level 333, not just one child but rotating. After Perempuan, many
characters afterward do the same, which is to save the child on level 333. The
question is how those children can survive on level 333 when even the upper
levels do not get food. Do the children eat the corpses thrown down? Do the
children also not move between levels? How long must they survive there before
being 'rescued'?
Another
question that should have been answered in this second film is the fate of
Goreng. As we see, Perempuan, others, and Goreng end up below level 333. The
audience does not know what happens there or how they survive. Do they also eat
the corpses discarded there? Because there is a scene where people run toward a
corpse that falls into a black hole.
The
acting by the cast is quite good, where we can see impressive expressions from
the characters, especially the main character. Camera movement and
cinematography are also quite good, especially showing important scene details.
For example, when Perempuan’s hand is cut, we can see the blood effects
spurting from her arm. The use of music and sound effects is also appropriate
in each scene.
As
with the first film, the character names sound a bit odd to Indonesians. Some
names have meanings unusual for use as personal names. Perempuan means 'Lady,'
Sahabat means 'Friend or best friend,' and Daging Babi means 'Pork.'
Overall,
this film is quite interesting to watch, especially considering the success of
the first film. Unfortunately, that success becomes a heavy burden for this
prequel. Instead of providing answers to questions from the first film, it adds
more unanswered questions. Many plot points still need further development.
Memorable scene:
Zamitian
burns himself to protect Perempuan from punishment. Zamitian made a mistake by
eating the food of a deceased participant, which led the leader of the place to
hunt him down for punishment.
In
this scene, we can see how Zamitian admits his mistake and is willing to face
the consequences. What is emphasized is that he does not want innocent
Perempuan to suffer the consequences as well. Therefore, he makes an extreme
decision.
Memorable dialogue:
"We are prisoners of ourselves, there is no escape."
Ending:
Cliffhanger
Ending
Recommendation:
Worth
to Watch
(Aluna)
0 Comments