in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
What does survival look like after 28 years?
Well, The Bone Temple does not answer this cleanly or clearly. Instead it presents two characters who have outlived common sense itself and learned to survive (surprisingly) without it:
Dr Kelson and Lord Jimmy Crystal
Only by breaking down what each character represents, why they matter and what their main character contradictions are, can we pick apart each of their responses to the world ending.
- Dr Kelson- the observer and identifier.
Played by the wonderful (yet Oscar-less??!!) Ralph Fiennes, Dr Kelson represents rationality, structure and logic in a declining world. Unlike his counterpart, Kelson resorts to ritualistic systems and preservation of bones as means of controlling his situation. In a senario where medicine has failed and the governments collapsed, Kelson sticks to his own documenting and wacky methods to ultimately find a cure for this ‘rage’ virus that has wiped out populations.
However, this is not clear upon first impression. Audiences first look at the ‘bone temple’ in 28 Years Later, most definitely struck fear as we all assumed this was something only a crazy person would build right-? Wrong. Kelson in fact defies our initial impressions as we learn of his somewhat sweet reasoning to his actions. By arranging the skeletons in this way, Kelson is in fact bringing a sense of meaning into their demise. It is clear that in world of noise, damage and violence, his answer is stillness and content (shown through his lasting appreciation for music and use of tranquillisers rather than weapons.)
His complete defiance of the fear of death that blankets the other survivors (such as Spike and Isla), is not only respectful but completely radiates through the screen inflicting on the audience too. Not only do Spike and his mother obey Kelson because of his ability to ignore chaos but the audience feels a sense of safety through his silence and belief.
Yes Dr Kelson inhabits a world that is predictable but it is also secure. Trapped in a world where credentials no longer carry meaning, Dr Kelson does a fine job of establishing intelligence and reasoning- WOW.
- Lord Jimmy Crystal (and the Jimmies)- stuck in the past.
If the Jimmy Saville inspired outfits aren’t enough to put you at unease just wait until you see their acts of “charity.”
The easiest way to describe Jimmy Crystal and his followers is cynical. Since the collapse of society, their world is chaotic, violent and brutal but also honest, simply because they don’t believe that the meaning Kelson is searching for, can be constructed. They represent survival without rationale or evolution- a complete contradiction to Dr Kelson. Whilst one character is processing an apocalyptic situation, Jimmy never processes it at all.
Yes the Jimmies aren’t a branch of infected, but they might as well be. They’re violence and persistence makes them wildly unpredictable and therefore a threat to societal advancement.
However, they are also powerless.
Their acts of murder are pure instinct and carry no power or strategy, so why do they pose a threat?
It is their expression of violence and methods of survival that become dangerous. The Jimmies are stuck in a loop, reenacting the same crimes, moving in a group and occupying the same area. These characteristics demonstrate that their survival is grounded on grief, unresolved trauma and brutality. Where the virus has transformed Kelson, Jimmy Crystal has been calcified. So, Kelson’s attempt to move humanity forward is initially put to a halt. Everything the bone temple strives to symbolise conflicts against the Jimmies group which is devoid of order, structure and fragile meaning. Kelson doesn’t fear death he fears the absence of progress.
What audiences shouldn’t be fooled by is a sense of good verses evil. It doesn’t exist. It is also not a matter of intelligence verses stupidity. What remains then are instincts and systems of survival. Kelson’s belief in humanity and the Jimmies incapability of this are both conditions of their situation and ultimately portray how each character is a product of unresolved trauma. Jimmy Crystal is stuck in the moment of collapse whereas Kelson is attempting to freeze time through his acts of preservation and this is why they clash.
No one is trying to ‘win’, the world just suggests you either live in rage or ritual.
If you couldn’t already tell (lol), this was almost a 5 star film for me. Whether Kelson was successful in finding a cure for the virus is something I’m going to be speculating for a long long long time. Can part 3 just be released already UGH.
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