'The Platform' Film Analysis

Analyzing 'The Platform' 

Through its Semiotics and Multimodal Texts

Writer: Yancy Aubrey J. Panugon

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8228288/

 

  The Platform is set in a vertical prison with 333 cells and two inmates per cell on each level. There is just one food platform that goes down two minutes daily to feed the inmates from top to bottom. The two inmates in the same cell are assigned to a new floor level monthly, gas makes the cellmates fall asleep, and when they wake up, they are already on a new level. The food is enough for everyone. However, the inmates on the higher floors have already consumed most of the food. Those on the lower floors must plan how to survive with the leftovers; worst case, they are left with nothing for a month. Outsiders are welcome to volunteer to serve as prisoners in exchange for a diploma to elevate their social standing. The narrative is a never-ending nightmare held captive in The Platform. 

    This blog will convey the movie's plot and meaning using multimodal texts and semiotics.

    A brief plot summary of the movie is provided: The Platform Review: Top-floor People Dominant Or The Key For All Is At Bottom?

Determining the Plot of the Film Using Its Poster

https://alternativemovieposters.com/portfolio_tags/the-platform/

 

   The movie poster can be considered multimodal since it uses text, icons, and space, among other modes.

    The audience gets the impression that the movie "The Platform" is a horror movie from the text "The Endless Nightmare" and the poster's dark colors (red and black). Text and image were both significant in determining the genre of the movie. 

    Moreover, the use of visual symbols, proximity, and organization of the signs in the posters give hints to the audience about the story's plot. As you can see, there is a spinal cord with layers, and one layer has a red spot. This red spot was displayed like it was moving. A big ribcage covers the whole spinal cord. After watching the movie, you will realize that these have meanings. The red spot represents the food platform that goes down, the spinal cord represents the whole prison or The Platform/The Hole, and the ribcage is the administration that controls everything.

    The blog writer believes that the X-Ray design of this poster aims to convey the idea that the story has an external reflection.

Determining the Plot of the Film Using Its Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfooqeZcdY

    The movie trailer is multimodal since it uses text, moving images, and audio, among other modes.

    The trailer started with a statement, "There are three types of person - those at the top, those at the bottom, and those who fall." It entails that the movie is about hierarchy. Though, the order was portrayed horrifyingly, as evidenced by the dark color of the film, eerie background music, and characters' shock value of fear, blood, and guts. 

   The trailer also states, "If everyone ate only what they needed, the food would reach the lowest level." This statement wants to tell the audience that the platform is about food/eating. It was also supported by the scene showing a large platform moving downwards with food. But because of the hierarchy mentioned beforehand, those on the upper level become greedy and gluttonous, leaving those at low levels with no food. It is evidenced by the people stepping on the food and inappropriate eating.

   

   Thus, hunger is the central conflict of the story. One character stated, "Hunger unleashes the madman in us," followed by the scene showing the main character eating a book page and a woman eating a person. They did this because they might be in a lower level, left with no food. 

   The trailer showed the main character being held captive with a statement, "You've got a good heart. I don't think you'll survive long." It was followed by a loud shout from the main character. Given the hints above, one can infer that the main character is at a low level and will become someone's food or will be cannibalized.

 

The combination of different modes in the poster and trailer (multimodal texts) of 'The Platform' was used effectively. It undoubtedly became a debate among the general public because of its symbolism. The following content will show the different signs and symbols in the film and how it is relevant in present times (semiosis).

Semiotics in the Film 'The Platform'

PRISON

http://www.kirkdamaso.com/2020/03/this-film-is-very-timely-for-pandemic.html

    In the movie, there are two prisoners on each of the 333 floors of the prison. When you multiply 333 by 2, the result is 666. One of the most well-known representations of the Antichrist or, put another way, the evil is the number 666. One could argue that the prison is a physical depiction of hell and a destination of suffering.

FOOD PLATFORM

https://blogs.umb.edu/cinemastudies/2020/11/27/the-platform-just-in-time-for-thanksgiving/

    The food platform descends vertically from level one to the lowest level and is filled with enough food to feed all prisoners in prison. However, no food is left for those in the lower levels of the jail due to gluttony and greed. It illustrates how the hierarchy functions in our society. Even when the masses have access to abundant resources, upper classes like corrupt government officials and capitalist elites start overconsuming. Poverty, hunger, and death result from the supposed funds and resources intended for the poor and marginalized not being able to reach them.

PRISONERS

https://idsb.tmgrup.com.tr/ly/uploads/images/2020/04/14/30680.png

    As was mentioned, each cell holds two prisoners. If a convict killed their cellmate, one can infer from the careful observation that the inmate would be housed at a higher prison level. For instance, a month passed, and Goreng, from Level 48, woke up on Level 171, tied to the bed by his partner Trimagasi. Trimagasi says that hunger causes people to go insane and that he will be gracious enough to eat tiny bits of Goreng's flesh before tending to his wounds. Fortunately, a woman named Miharu, looking for her missing child in prison, saved Goreng by stabbing Trimagasi. It turned out that Goreng became the one eating the flesh of Trimagasi. After a month, Goreng awoke at Level 33 with a new partner. The scene is an illustration of the competition that exists in our society. The system was designed to encourage competition. As a result, these individuals bring others down to advance themselves, which makes trusting others difficult in our society.

    Another argument is that the inmates who rose from low to high levels developed greed because they lacked what they ought to have before. It represents rags-to-riches individuals who lost sight of their roots and decided not to help those who share their experience out of concern that it might happen to them again.

TRIMAGASI

https://medium.com/cbcpcinema/the-platform-c9c616d7a32f

    Goreng, the movie's primary character, has partnered with Trimagasi in the beginning. Trimagasi is an older man who has endured the broken jail system for many years. He frequently says things like, "Don't question it because it's obvious," "Speaking tires me out," and "Just go with the flow because I'm tired of explaining it." Trimagasi represents the older age who are comfortable and already accept their situation. They don't care about any potential weaknesses in the system; all they want is contentment. They are the same people that perpetually say, "That's life," which is roughly equivalent to, "Obviously."

IMOGUIRI

https://medium.com/@gabbiepicasso/the-message-needs-no-bearer-7eb62f34752e

    The administration recruited Imoguiri to work for them. She was tasked to interview those individuals who were willing to volunteer themselves in prison for a college diploma. Although, she volunteered herself at the prison, telling the inmates that they needed to share the food equitably if they wanted to survive. Beforehand, the administration informed Imoguiri that there are only 200 floors in prison, and those less than 16 are not permitted. However, after a month in prison, she was placed at level 202 with Goreng. Also, Miharu informed Imoguiri that her child was on the platform. She was unaware that the administration had lied about the prison, making it even more difficult for her to carry out her plan. She ended up killing herself. Goreng survived at level 202 by eating the flesh of Imoguiri.

    Imoguiri represents those who have experience working in the government or the upper class. They have come to see the reality of our society and seek to change things. The truth they are aware of, however, is not accurate. They will realize that empathy is insufficient because the situation is already worse than they had anticipated, leading them to give up.

BAHARAT

https://film-themovie.com/the-platform/

    Imoguiri's passing caused Goreng to advance to Level 6. There he met Baharat, his new partner. Baharat and Goreng agreed to use the food platform to descend and divide the food equally after Goreng explained how the system works. Prisoners followed the orders on their descent, but some began a fight to get more food. Baharat died due to the wounds he received in the tough fights. Baharat is a metaphor for individuals who desire to fight for justice and are prepared to die for it. Many people nowadays want to tell others the truth about what's happening in the world, yet some people remain blind to the truth to survive. The prisoners who disobeyed Baharat's orders serve as an example of this.

    Baharat's journey is a tribute to those who gave their lives to start the movement. The people who witnessed what they did will determine whether or not their movement continues. Are they prepared to take a chance, to tell the truth, or will they keep using the flawed system to get by, just like Trimagasi did?

PANNA COTTA

https://tiasnotsosecretdiary.com/2020/05/15/the-platform/

    Through the untouched panna cotta, Goreng and Baharat intend to convey a message that the oppressive structure of the prison hasn't destroyed the spirit of humanity. They intend for the panna cotta to stay exactly how it is to alert the management of the food platform to a structural issue. The administration, however, believed that the panna cotta was ignored because there was hair in it.

    This hypothetical scenario represents how, despite any protests or evidence the marginalized provided, politicians and elites would never genuinely comprehend it because they have never gone through it. The upper class now believes that poverty is a product of people's unwillingness to work hard. The truth is that those on the margins have been denied access to fundamental rights, and no resources are available to improve their predicament.

YOUNG GIRL

https://thetab.com/uk/2020/03/30/the-platform-ending-explained-netflix-149948

    A young girl suddenly appears on the prison's lowest level at the movie's end. Some people think the child is real since she is Miharu's missing child, while others think Goreng's near-to-death caused him to have a hallucination about the child. The panna cotta, which ought to be sent to the administration, is seen being given to the young girl in the final scene. After then, the little girl was delivered to the administration above.

    The blog's writer thinks the child is a hallucination. The young girl ascending to the top represents the idea that youngsters are the real answers to society's problems. The movie's message to viewers is that facts alone won't bring about change; young people need to act and get involved in what's happening in the world.

OPEN-ENDED FINALE

https://screenrant.com/platform-movie-netflix-ending-pit-child-meaning-explained/

    The movie's open-ended finale raises a lot of queries in the viewer's mind. The little girl in the bottom level—is she real? If yes, what happened to the child? What then occurred to the system? Is it still a problem, or has it been resolved? On the bright side, the blog author thinks the movie's open-ended finale is deliberate. The film's open-ended finish suggests that the problems and difficulties in our society are still open-ended and unresolved rather than being addressed, given the numerous symbolisms of the characters and plot. It wants us to understand that we should act to improve the structure as viewers.

CONCLUSION

    True, "The Platform" piques viewers' imaginations and leaves room for various interpretations. Even though the majority will enjoy the movie, it is meant to be criticized. It seeks to provide metaphorical observations about global sociopolitical issues. The movie is well-made and thought-provoking. The viewer was given cues about the film's symbolism through the effective use of various techniques, including audio, language, scenes, layout, and gestures.