28 Years Later explores a world that’s been continuously ravaged by the rage virus, turning millions of people into infected in the original 28 Days Later.
In the center of the story is a family living in an isolated island community, trying to make the best out of a horrific reality. Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland wanted the film to be a family story, and explore the dynamics in a bleak environment. “Alex came up with this idea centered around a family. It is inventive writing, in a way that was exciting for everyone involved and helped make us feel like we were making an original film, and not a sequel,” Boyle explains.
Watch the “Imagine” vignette with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland:
The family consists of Jamie (Aaron-Taylor Johnson), a loving and protective husband. Isla (Jodie Comer) is Jamie’s wife who has been stricken with an undiagnosed illness, and rounding off the group is their son Spike (Alfie Williams), who has been honing his survival skills under his father.
Johnson sees Jamie as someone who’s trying his best to make the most of the harsh situation. “Everyone on the island has adapted to a tribal way of living, to protect themselves from the horrors awaiting them on the mainland,” he says. “They’ve had to become ingrained in a survivalist way of living.”
Johnson emphasises Jamie’s love for his family, which often manifests in misguided ways, especially in training his young son Spike. “You see the pressure that Jamie is putting on him to grow up a little bit quicker than he is supposed to,” Taylor-Johnson continues. “He’s trying to give Spike the tools he needs in this new world. Jamie wants Spike to have his independence. There is so much heart and soul between the father and the son.”
Other than the special connection between father and son, Spike is also devoted to his ailing mother Isla. “Spike and Isla provide a real thread of humanity and emotion, while coping and surviving in this incredibly dangerous situation,” says Jodie Comer.
Isla’s illness increases the danger for the family, putting tension between her and her husband Jamie, but in the end, Comer feels like the family is strong because of their love of one another. “Isla’s illness has put a lot of strain on her marriage. Still, Aaron, Danny, and I were always clear that it was a relationship that came from love, and that Jamie wants the best for Isla,” she says”
Young Alfie Williams has all been adopted by Johnson as the actor took his on-screen son under his wing, which Boyle felt like added to the sincerity of their relationship in the film. “Aaron loved taking responsibility for Alfie, looking after a young lad who was experiencing it all for the first time,” he says. “I’d often find Aaron teaching Alfie about breathing and making sure he was ready for a scene. The other beautiful thing is that we’d see Alfie begin to copy Aaron in his prep.”
A family fights for survival in 28 Years Later arriving in Philippine cinemas on June 18.
