The Devastating ’28 Days Later’ Moment That Completely Changes the Movie’s Meaning

The big picture

• 28 days later
  revitalized the zombie sub-genre with his fast zombies, setting a trend that is still seen in horror today.
• The film's portrayal of found family and masculinity, especially through the character of Frank, packs an emotional punch.
• Brendan Gleeson's death of Frank's changes the tone of the film, leading to a reflection on survival, hope and the dangers of humanity.

28 days later is one of the most influential zombie films of all time. His use of fast zombies completely revitalized the subgenre and is still a prominent feature in horror films today. The post-apocalyptic thriller had the collaboration of the director Danny Boyle i Alex Garland, both still in the early stages of their careers. The film was followed by a sequel, 28 weeks laterand it has been announced that a new trilogy is in the works, starting with the release of 28 years later the summer of 2025. 28 days later it is most notable for its unrelenting depiction of the infected and persistent flats of London. However, what he does best is his portrayal of the found family, especially masculinity and the role of the father figure. This is explored through the character of Frank (Brendan Gleeson), who has an immense impact on the growth of the character of Jim (Cillian Murphy), and it is his death that changes the tone of the entire film..

The opening of '28 days later' is a depiction of isolation

The opening scene of 28 days later is one of the most visually striking moments in cinema. Jim wakes from his coma and wanders the empty streets of London with no idea of ​​the devastation that has occurred. The environment is barren and the only sounds are Jim's cries for help. Boyle uses wide shots to emphasize how deserted London is, which was achieved through morning shots. This initial introduction to Jim shows his isolation from the audience and also his desire for support. His first instinct is to head to a church, and it's clear that he's looking for some form of guidance. However, he encounters the infected for the first time and is saved by the survivors Mark (Noah Huntley) and Selena (Naomi Harris). It is immediately clear that Jim would not survive on his own and hence his desire for leadership.

The initial tone of the film is bleak. In his rediscovery of a new world, Jim's first instinct is to find his parents, hoping they will give him a sense of security. However, he discovers that they killed themselves together to escape the zombie apocalypse. It's a brutal reminder of the film's reality. Mark is also aggressively killed by Selena after being infected. Even though they have each other, it's clear that Selena and Jim are lonely, they don't feel connected, and Selena isn't afraid to surround Jim at any point. The first moments of 28 days later personifies the harshness of such a deadly apocalypse. It's scary in its sense of isolation, and using Jim, a character who's missed all the major events, makes the contrast between before and after the outbreak even more stark. Jim's loss and disorientation are hauntingly raw, and he represents a man stripped of everything he knew about the world.

Brendan Gleeson's death in '28 Days Later' changes the film

When Jim and Selena meet Hannah (Megan Burns) and Frank, the tone of the film changes. Being father and daughter, they act as a representation of having something to live for. Their lives have meaning because they have each other and as the four spend more time together, this attitude is present in Selena and Jim. They become a makeshift family who find solace in the chaos. The film transforms into an almost dreamlike state to represent this change in tone, which is evident in the supermarket montage. Here the color palette changes; deep oranges are replaced by much brighter whites. This ethereal lighting is what makes these sequences feel so hazy and dreamlike. Boyle expressly shows you how idealized this lifestyle is and how these four people have found themselves despite their dire situation. There are small reminders of reality, such as Jim having to kill an infected kid at a roadside diner, but for the most part, this middle section of the film is a stark contrast to the opening. It is full of hope and an almost childlike innocence.

Then that feeling of happiness is abruptly erased. When the group arrives at the location of the possible survivors, they find nothing. This is where Frank finally breaks and his optimism fades. Frank's breakdown structurally represents the loss of hope. He was the backbone, and his role as a father figure kept the group going. The slow shot of the infected blood falling into Frank's eye is the perfect example of how the film uses its slow pace for emotional impact. Frank's fate is sealed, but you're left waiting for reality to catch up. The family the four have built is instantly destroyed. Hannah has lost her father, but Jim has also lost a symbolic father figure that he has been searching for since the beginning of the film. Jim's inability to kill Frank heightens this, it shows what Frank found and how important it was to Jim's growth. Frank's death is unexpected and forces the film to take a complete turn in its direction.

“28 Days Later” uses survivors to explore masculinity

With Frank gone, the role of authority is assumed by Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston); the head of the military base where the group has gone. When the true intentions of the men at the base are revealed, they want to use Selena and Hannah as sex slaves to repopulate the earth, there is a lingering question as to whether they waited until Frank went offline before rescuing the group. What is clear is that Jim, Selena and Hannah are not safe. Frank's kindness and warmth are replaced by West's hard and cold persona. The set suddenly becomes very dark, which represents the lack of clarity for the protagonists; the freedom and strength they had as four is gone. What unfolds in the final act is the exploration that man is as dangerous as the infected.

Frank's pastoral role in the film means that he acts as a protector to Jim, Selena and Hannah, his presence creating a sense of security. Not only is his death shocking, but it also comes right before the film's biggest villain is introduced. Major West as a leading figure is more sinister because that sense of comfort that Frank gave both the characters and the audience is gone. Without him, their situation seems much more helpless. Until his death, the film's themes revolve around the barren landscape of the apocalypse and the importance of the established family. The final third of the film follows a much more recognizable mantra of zombie films: humans can be the greatest enemy, and this is represented by Frank's absence being filled by sinister motivations of Major West.

The threat posed by Major West and his hunger for control forces Jim to step up and take over this role of protector. If Frank hadn't been killed, Jim may have looked to him for guidance, but his death means Jim must become the man Frank taught him to be. By the end of the film, Jim is fully developed, and it is Frank's death that defines this character arc, allowing him to go from being completely dependent on others for survival to becoming a protector himself . He is only able to help Selena and Hannah survive and escape the army base because of the symbolic importance of Frank's death to his character.

28 days later is available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray.

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