The Platform (2019) gives the audience a lasting impression with its confined space, limited food, and random distribution, vividly showing the dark side of human nature. Five years later, The Platform 2 was released and sparked people's interest.
The second film maintains the same setting as the first, but the platform’s rules have changed.
The Vertical Self-Management Center is a dystopian prison, consisting of 333 floors with a hole in the center. Each day, a platform carrying food descends through the hole, stopping for two minutes on each level. Prisoners on higher floors have access to food first, while those on lower levels risk starvation. At the end of each month, prisoners are randomly reassigned to new floors.
Two groups exist among the prisoners: the Loyalists, who adhere to self-imposed rules, eating only their chosen food or trading voluntarily, and Barbarians, who eat whatever they can grab, are not concerned for prisoners in the lower levels.
While most people abide by the Loyalist principles, a few individuals break the rules. When someone dies, their portion of food should be destroyed according to the rules, but some people secretly consume it. Eventually, more and more people begin to abandon the principles, each looking out only for themselves and prioritizing their interests.
The film concludes with a destructive conflict between the Loyalists and the Barbarians, leaving no winners, delving deeper into the themes of “order and conflict.”
If The Platform (2019) aimed to convey that "a system can help distribute resources fairly among platform inhabitants," then The Platform 2 seems to suggest that "even with a system, fairness is not guaranteed." The existence of multiple systems leads to division, conflict, and struggle.
The platform in the film mirrors our world, with its hierarchical structure, stark resource distribution, and fierce competition. People are often quick to ignore others’ needs to secure their interests. Rules are often disregarded under certain circumstances. Although society appears to be fair and just, there will always be individuals who, driven by selfishness and indifference, attempt to disrupt this fairness.
Whether one belongs to the Loyalists or the Barbarians, true redemption for the inhabitants lies in self-restraint and moderation, which should lean on God rather than human strength or will.
If each person makes a little sacrifice, the platform can operate much easier, and each level would have enough food to meet their needs. Otherwise, as the film illustrates, the platform will continue to be a battleground with beneficiaries and plunderers. People shift between levels, with their beliefs and stances changed. Yet one thing remains constant: every person is fighting for their interests.
2019年笔者观看《饥饿站台》电影第一部时，密闭的空间、有限的食物、随机的分配给我留下了深刻的印象。可以说这部电影把人性中的丑与恶展现的淋漓尽致。里面看似是一个食物站台，实则就是一个人性炼狱。时隔5年，该电影迎来了第二部，观众的期待值直接拉满。笔者认为这部电影之所以被观众喜欢，并不是因为有大量血腥暴力惊悚的画面；而是因为对人性的深度刨析和探讨。在极端环境下，人性的变化与发展实在令人好奇。
第二部依然延续了第一部的场合与地点，不过站台的规则发生了变化。站台内分为两等人，第一等是忠诚派，第二等是野蛮派。忠诚派认为，每个人只能吃自己事先选好的食物，每天都是如此。当站台缓缓下降，到达每一层时，每个人不能动其他人的食物。除非住在不同层的人员双方都同意交换，不然就只能吃自己事先选择的食物。这样才能保证站台每一层都有食物可吃。而野蛮派认为无需这些规章制度；谁在高层，谁就享受最好的待遇。他们认为可以随便吃，不用在意底层人是否有吃的，自己享受就好了。
在影片中，虽然大部分人都是按着忠诚派的原则遵守，但也有一小部分人打破原则。比如，有一些人死掉了，按照忠诚派的规则来说在这样的情况下属于他们的食物就需要被完全销毁；但总有一些人瞒着大家偷吃了这些食物。后来，很多人都开始不再遵守原则，各顾自己，利益至上。
影片的结局是忠诚派和野蛮派这两个派系斗争造成两败俱伤，没有一个赢家。笔者认为这部影片更多地探讨了关于“秩序和冲突”的问题，电影的剧情也被艺术化地处理了。最终结果也和第一部相似，人们使用暴力来解决问题，完成对自我和他人的救赎。
笔者认为这部电影在一定程度上就是在映射现今这个社会。我们所生活的社会也像影片中一样，虽然其实也有很多规则；但许多时候这些规则在一些情况下都被无视了。看似公平公正的环境，然而却总会有一些人因为人性自私与冷漠的缘故，试图破坏这些公平和公正。就像影片中描绘的，站台上既有上层人，也有下层人，有非常现实的资源分配问题。在竞争相当激烈的社会中，人们很容易为了达成自身的利益而忽视他人的需求，更加关注自己的需要。看似有时候已经达成了一致，但回过头来就会马上变脸。其实这就是当今的社会现状，这就是人性使然。
虽然《饥饿站台》第二部的剧情和逻辑上比第一部要更加复杂一些，但表达上更有张力和冲击力。如果说《饥饿站台》第一部想表达的是“制度可以帮助站台人们资源的合理分配”；那么《饥饿站台》第二部想要表达的就应该是“即使有制度，人们在站台的生活也不一定被公平对待”。因为制度不会是一种，可能是多种。如果是多种制度或派系的出现，势必会出现分歧、矛盾、斗争。
看完《饥饿站台》第二部，让我们明白一个重要事实。就是不论是忠诚派也好，野蛮派也好，真正可以让整个站台、所有人完成救赎的是每个人的自我约束与节制索取。当然，每个人的自我约束与节制索取不可能靠着人自己的力量和意志实现，而必须借助上帝和耶稣基督的帮助。如果每个人都愿意牺牲自己一点，整个站台的运营就会变得轻松很多；而每一层的人也都可以被分配到足够满足自己需要的食物。不然的话，只能够像影片所展示的一样——在这许多站台之间，有上层人的得利者，有下层人的抢夺者；有尊重秩序守护秩序的人，也有维护自由主义者。每个人都在不同阶层流动，思想与立场也悄然改变。但唯一不变的是，每个人都在为着自己的利益需求而战。
悦影评|从《饥饿站台2》看极端环境下的人性到底如何？
The Platform (2019) gives the audience a lasting impression with its confined space, limited food, and random distribution, vividly showing the dark side of human nature. Five years later, The Platform 2 was released and sparked people's interest.
The second film maintains the same setting as the first, but the platform’s rules have changed.
The Vertical Self-Management Center is a dystopian prison, consisting of 333 floors with a hole in the center. Each day, a platform carrying food descends through the hole, stopping for two minutes on each level. Prisoners on higher floors have access to food first, while those on lower levels risk starvation. At the end of each month, prisoners are randomly reassigned to new floors.
Two groups exist among the prisoners: the Loyalists, who adhere to self-imposed rules, eating only their chosen food or trading voluntarily, and Barbarians, who eat whatever they can grab, are not concerned for prisoners in the lower levels.
While most people abide by the Loyalist principles, a few individuals break the rules. When someone dies, their portion of food should be destroyed according to the rules, but some people secretly consume it. Eventually, more and more people begin to abandon the principles, each looking out only for themselves and prioritizing their interests.
The film concludes with a destructive conflict between the Loyalists and the Barbarians, leaving no winners, delving deeper into the themes of “order and conflict.”
If The Platform (2019) aimed to convey that "a system can help distribute resources fairly among platform inhabitants," then The Platform 2 seems to suggest that "even with a system, fairness is not guaranteed." The existence of multiple systems leads to division, conflict, and struggle.
The platform in the film mirrors our world, with its hierarchical structure, stark resource distribution, and fierce competition. People are often quick to ignore others’ needs to secure their interests. Rules are often disregarded under certain circumstances. Although society appears to be fair and just, there will always be individuals who, driven by selfishness and indifference, attempt to disrupt this fairness.
Whether one belongs to the Loyalists or the Barbarians, true redemption for the inhabitants lies in self-restraint and moderation, which should lean on God rather than human strength or will.
If each person makes a little sacrifice, the platform can operate much easier, and each level would have enough food to meet their needs. Otherwise, as the film illustrates, the platform will continue to be a battleground with beneficiaries and plunderers. People shift between levels, with their beliefs and stances changed. Yet one thing remains constant: every person is fighting for their interests.
Film Review: Human Nature Under Extreme Conditions in The Platform 2
