‘The Platform’ ending, explained: We are what we eat

Thanks to its gruesome exploration of human nature and economic systems, The Platform quickly became a cult classic. Still, another reason why director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia shattered Netflix viewership expectations is the puzzling ending that’s kept people talking about the movie years later.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the ending of The Platform.

The Platform takes place in “The Pit,” a vertical prison where each floor serves as a cell for two inmates. There, a platform descends into an abyss daily, carrying a feast. The gourmet food contrasts with the disgusting nature of what occurs between the Pit’s walls. Since the platform only stops at each level for a few minutes, the inmates learn to consume as much as possible, lest they go hungry until the following day.

The structure of the Pit means the fortunate few on the top floors will enjoy the succulent food. Meanwhile, those on the lower levels must hope the people above will leave them at least a few crumbs or face starvation. Plus, since floors are assigned randomly each month, everyone’s luck can turn for the worse, meaning they are pressured to keep their strengths by eating as much as they can or recovering from a long fasting period, despite knowing their gluttony might doom others.

Just like that, The Platform creates the perfect playground for a vicious social experiment. If inmates organize themselves, they can ensure everyone gets a share of the sparse resources. But can people let go of their greed in the name of the greater good? It’s no wonder The Platform is filled with stomach-turning scenes of murder, suicide, and cannibalism, as it’s eat or be eaten inside the oppressive walls of the Pit. At least until one man decides to start a rebellion.

What is Goreng’s Plan in The Platform?

After witnessing the horrors of the Pit for four months, Goreng (Iván Massagué) decides he must do something to change the game’s rules. He’s convinced the only way to make people understand what’s at stake in the dystopic prison is to enforce an equal distribution of resources. Goreng quickly enlists the help of his new cellmate, Baharat (Emilio Buale). Together, they plan to descend the platform, using makeshift weapons to fight those who refuse to share the food equally.

On their way down, a wise man underlines the flaw of Goreng’s plan. If they want to send a message of solidarity, they must guarantee that the Administration understands their efforts. For that, they decide to send an untouched dish back to the kitchen. This panna cotta is the message because if there are leftovers from the banquet, the prisoners learn how to work together to feed everyone, from the top of the Pit to its lowest levels.

Protecting food is difficult when the platform goes through dozens of floors filled with starving people, meaning Goreng and Baharat must fight for their lives. They arrive at the last floor, 333, broken and beaten, with only a panna cotta to show for their efforts. To their surprise, there’s a child (Ziyara Llana) on level 333.

Goreng and Baharat went through hell to protect the panna cotta. Still, in the Pit’s final floor, face-to-face with a starving child, they can’t keep their vows anymore. The panna cotta is the message. But what is a message worth if it means condemning a child to die from starvation? So, the two men gift her the dessert.

Baharat dies from his wounds, and Goreng knows he will soon follow a similar fate. Furthermore, since the panna cotta was devoured, he has nothing to show for his efforts. That’s when Goreng has an epiphany and realizes he has approached the problem incorrectly. The panna cotta is not the message. The girl is.

What happens to Goreng at the bottom of the Pit?

With what’s left of his strengths, Goreng leads the child to the platform the next day, when it descends again. Goreng’s goal is to send the girl up to the Administration. She is an innocent victim of a flawed system and represents the purity that still levels in the depths of the Pit.

Before going all the way up, the platform goes down one last time. At the bottom of the Pit, Goreng is engulfed by darkness. Wherever he looks, there’s nothing to see. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the shadows: Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor), Goreng’s first cellmate. Until then, The Platform is surprisingly grounded for a horror sci-fi movie. Yet, Trimagasi’s presence there is confusing, to say the least, as he died at the hands of Goreng during a brutal altercation. Goreng also feeds from Trimagasi’s flesh to survive the lower levels of the Pit.

The Platform doesn’t reveal if Trimagasi is there in spirit or is just a figment of Goreng’s imagination. Maybe in his final moments, Goreng is trying to make peace with the horrible crime he committed. Or perhaps the Pit works as a purgatory dimension where the souls of the dead still linger. Whatever the case, Trimagasi tells Goreng he cannot be on the platform with the girl once it ascends. The girl is the message, the proof of solidarity in hell. As for him, he’s just the messenger.

Goreng remains at the bottom of the Pit with Trimagasi as he sees the platform carry the girl to the top. He hopes she will be enough for the Administration to realize how terrible the whole experiment is. Goreng dies in the darkness, but he has hope in his heart.

As the viewer, you can believe Goreng destroyed the Pit through his actions. We’ll find out very soon, when The Platform 2 drops on Netflix on Oct. 4.