INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN

PERSON/PAMBUNGAD SA PILOSOPIYA NG TAO

An analysis: “The Platform” (2019)

Submitted by:
Sofia Noreen O. Miguel
 “We must eat” – Trimagasi stated in one scene of the movie entitled “The Platform”
(2019).

The film director of the Spanish Sci-fi/Horror movie was directed by Galder
Gaztelu-Urrutia. The film introduces a psychological horror theme of the cinema wherein the
characters of the movie and the setting of the movie represent that people are greedy and will
take more than they need. The character of the movie was identified to be Goreng, the
protagonist of the film where he volunteered to be isolated in the prison which they also named
“The Hole” or “The Pit”. The character is then followed by Trimagasi, the first inmate of the
protagonist; Imogiri, the second inmate of the protagonist who allegedly has the experience of
working in the government or the system they live in, she is the one who also convinced
everyone below the Platform to take the food in a portion so that everyone could have a piece.
Miharu, who helped Goreng to be released from the hold of Trimagasi which was about to eat
him to keep him alive throughout the time they are on the platform— and Baharat who helped
Goreng in the end.

The movie “The Platform” represents a Life-or-death situation of every convicted inmate
in the movie. The movie demonstrated the behavior of a human being on what measures they
could go for to survive their stay on every level especially those who are ones in the low levels.
In the film, the characters are given 2 minutes of time for them to feed themselves when a
platform has come down to their levels. However, the characters observed that not all of the
prisoners have the opportunity to eat as the platform level goes down. The people below them
are experiencing starvation due to the lack of food supplies that the platform and the
administers gave them — the individuals who are also in the previous levels are showing Egoism
behavior because they are neglecting those below them, they stomp at the foods, spit on the
food and almost eating all of the food served by the cooks. Those who are starving due to the
level they are in such as those who are below 100 levels are more likely to have a cannibalistic
behavior towards their inmate just to have a portion of food on their stomach. The others show
disturbing behaviors as they get allocated on the descended platform.

Throughout the movie, there are philosophical themes that are identified such as how
the characters perceive the nature of existence of the purpose of the platform. The characters
were identified to rely themselves on the food that was served in front of them — thus, making
those above the platform mercenary towards others, leaving those below the platforms have
nothing to eat and have shattered broken glasses on the table instead; “What will the food be?”
Trimagasi asked, this pertains to what will be the remaining food for them to eat from those
above them. It is believed that the ones who are above the platforms if they did not like the
food that was given to them, they would give it to those below them or they would contaminate
the food first and then give it to the others. Additionally, the Ethics and Morality of the
character’s behavior were also presented in the film by the protagonist, Goreng— he showed
empathy towards those under them and persuaded others to portion their food for the others.
This action also demonstrated a behavior of Deontology Ethics in which he shows “what I ought
to do” towards others— He demonstrated what his duty is towards others and what is good for
others as his morality; as the characters experienced different levels of the platform from the
initial to the last, they perceived what other people have come across through the challenges
that they were into. This results in the agreement of the plan of the two characters, Goreng and
Barahat to preserve the food for those who are under level 50. The prisoners have accepted
these practices since most of them have been sent for years to experience this punishment for
the consequences of their actions by the government or the capitalist—This concept of
philosophical lense is determined to be under the identification of identifying one's factor to
identify their identity as a person.

As seen in the film, the characters of the film failed to have a choice of what floor they
should be in, the system or the government that controls the system does— however, the film
demonstrated that every cellmate in the Pit has been given a choice of what they would want to
have with them in the prison. Most of them requested to have defense tools and equipment
with them due to the threatening environment that the prison has; furthermore, inquiry such as
questioning regarding the existence of God may be seen in the movie and it is also stated by
Barahat that he believes in God and the eternal life after death of an individual. Moreover, there
are also several symbolism that the movie represents including the red dim light which shows
that this represents the time when the characters should be in bed at night. The change in
temperature of the rooms or floor can also symbolize that an individual takes a portion of food
in the platform to save it for later. Lastly, the girl in the finale symbolizes that the system that
they live in has not yet been broken by the administrators due to the predatory behavior of the
prisoners during the past years.

“The Platform” (2019), directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, offers an eerie portrayal of

human nature in harsh circumstances, where existence depends on the demise of a platform
that delivers food. The film explores the depths of human selfishness and desperation by
investigating complex philosophical concepts through characters such as the protagonist Goreng
and his fellow convicts Trimagasi, Imogiri, Miharu, and Baaharat. Goreng’s moral convictions in a
setting of conflict served to emphasize the moral dilemmas and the significance of responsibility
and empathy. The platform serves as an illustration of the arbitrary nature of hierarchies and
people’s lack of control over their situations, raising questions regarding both human agency
and societal systems throughout the film. Ultimately, “The Platform promotes philosophical
conversation by posing questions regarding the existentialist philosophy, morality, and essential
elements of the human nature in a dystopian setting.