The Platform 2’s Anti-Gravity Scene Explained

Warning! This post contains spoilers for The Platform 2.

The Platform 2 features a strange anti-gravity sequence in its ending moments, which makes it hard not to wonder where it is set. Although Netflix’s The Platform 2 was initially expected to be set after the events of its predecessor, it introduces several narrative twists and turns that suggest its timeline unfolds before The Platform. These timeline changes ultimately play a crucial role in helping The Platform 2 etch its own identity while allowing it to feature subtle references to the original movie.

Apart from following its own standalone narrative that initially has little to no connection with the original movie, The Platform 2 also attempts to reveal more details about the central vertical prison system. It finally highlights how the prisoners are moved from one cell to another after their one-month tenure on a level comes to an end. Towards its ending moments, The Platform 2 also features a sequence that walks through the protocol followed by the prison guards to move the surviving prisoners from one level to another while removing the bodies of the dead.

The Pit’s Guards Use Anti-Gravity Technology To Control & Maneuver The Structure

They Also Use It to Clean The Pit

Up until The Platform 2‘s final moments, the movie’s characters remain clueless about how the prison’s guards clean up the prison and move the prisoners from one level to another. Since The Platform 2‘s characters are too fixated on finding ways to survive, they also never theorize how the platform moves up and down. However, in The Platform 2‘s ending arc, Perempuan swallows a part of the “Drowning Dog” painting and seemingly dies for a few brief moments. This prevents her from inhaling the gas the prison’s guards use to neutralize the prisoners while cleaning the cells.

When she finally awakens, she discovers that the guards somehow create a zero-gravity environment inside the prison, allowing them to maneuver from one level to another. With the help of zero-gravity technology, they not only transport the prisoners to new levels and tuck them into their new beds before they regain their consciousness but also clear out all the mess they left behind during their one-month tenure on a level. The scene also suggests that the Authority uses the same gravity-manipulating technology to move the platform up and down the vertical prison.

Is The Platform’s Pit Actually Set In Space?

The Movies Do Not Explicitly Mention The Platform’s Location

Considering the technologies used in The Platform‘s universe, it seems obvious that the movie series is set in the future. However, the time period and the location the movies are set in remain unknown because the films do not provide concrete details about the outside world. The anti-gravity scene in The Platform 2 seemingly hints that the central vertical prison might be set in space.

While cleaning up the prison, the guards probably turn off the artificial gravity that keeps prisoners in place. However, since the platform itself defies gravity by moving up and down without any visible external forces at play, it seems more plausible that the Authority possesses a gravity-manipulating technology. Since the only opening in the vertical prison is the central channel through which the platform moves up and down, the anti-gravity tech is also probably used for placing the prisoners in their respective cells when they first choose to enter the prison.

The Symbolism Of The Platform 2’s Anti-Gravity Scene Explained

The Scene Symbolizes Perempuan’s Liberation From Her Guilt

In The Platform 2‘s anti-gravity sequence, Perempuan initially hopes to use the technology to escape the vertical prison. However, she soon notices the guards tucking a child into the bed at level 333. Although she is torn between getting herself out of the prison and helping the child, she eventually settles for the latter. She does this because she recalls how she ended up in the central prison because she failed to hold herself accountable for her boyfriend’s son’s death.

By protecting the child at level 333 and sending him to the surface through the platform, Perempuan makes an ultimate sacrifice that helps her liberate herself from the guilt of her past actions. She misses the opportunity to get herself out of the prison but breaks free from the shackles of the prison of her underlying guilt. As a result, in The Platform 2‘s ending moments, she experiences a certain kind of death and rebirth that symbolize her journey toward redemption.

This sequel to the dystopian thriller expands the universe of The Platform, following survivors and new participants who now grapple with a revamped version of the vertical self-management system, now with more sinister and complex machinations.

Director

Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Release Date

October 4, 2024

Studio(s)

Netflix

Distributor(s)

Netflix

Cast

Hovik Keuchkerian , Milena Smit , Deborah Ayorinde , Callum Keith Rennie , Natalia Tena , Oscar Jaenada

Franchise(s)

The Platform

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